Nita Lowey: “I am pleased to yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), the distinguished ranking member of…”

“I am pleased to yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), the distinguished ranking member of the Labor-HHS Subcommittee. Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the conference report which includes the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education appropriations bill. The Labor-H funding bill for 2019 makes important investments in health, education, and in our families. It is a $1 billion increase over 2018, leaving us to deliberate $178.1 billion. Especially when I view that the Trump administration is pursuing the fundamental hollowing out of our Federal agencies, we secured critical investments in Democratic priorities that boost the middle class. First, let me talk about health. This bill includes an increase of $2 billion for NIH research. It also includes increases across the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Health Resources and Services Administration, particularly to address health threats to pregnant women and babies. We also secured increases for our country's youngest children and their families, including an increase of $50 million for childcare and $200 million for Head Start, including $50 million more for Early Head Start. Turning to education, we won an increase for after-school programs and a raise in the maximum Pell grant, $100 for $6,195, to help students afford the rising cost of a college degree. The bill also eliminates two longstanding riders.…”