Yvette Clarke: “I thank the gentlelady for yielding. Today, the House passed H.R. 4628, the Interest Rate Reduction Act, or, as I like…”

“I thank the gentlelady for yielding. Today, the House passed H.R. 4628, the Interest Rate Reduction Act, or, as I like to refer to it, the ``take from the poor--give to the poor not in our interest act.'' This Republican-led bill will prevent the student loan interest rate from doubling to 6.8 percent, but in doing so would effectively gut the prevention and public health trust fund, a key component of the Affordable Care Act. When my Republican colleagues finally acknowledged the need to prevent student loan interest rates from rising on July 1, I had a glimmer of hope, hope that somewhere in their hearts remained some small bit of compassion for their fellow Americans. But I was quickly slapped back into reality when I saw that the Republicans intended to pay for this bill, as they usually do, on the backs of middle class families and the poor. The prevention and public health trust fund was created to ensure adequate funding for preventive health initiatives. These initiatives help to improve the health of poor and middle class families and, by improving health, also help to lower health care costs. Initiatives supported by this fund are successful because they are community-based, and as such, are uniquely tailored to the needs of targeted communities. Already, there are several key initiatives supported by the fund that benefit Americans.…”