Political Quotes

“Today marks a victory in the return to regular order on the Labor, Health and Human Services appropriations bill. I am proud of the hard work that brought this bill to us, and I want to highlight just a few of the many provisions in the Labor, Health and Human Services section of the bill that all Members can be proud of. First of all, I want to note that, while the Defense portion of the bill is up $18 billion, the Labor-H portion of the bill is actually only up $1 billion. It is no secret that our friends on the other side wanted a $5.5 billion increase. Our friends in the Senate version actually got a $2.2 billion increase. In the end, the Labor-H bill allocation actually only increased by $1 billion. In fact, almost three-quarters of the bill in front of us is dedicated to defense. The Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education portion of the agreement boosts funding for the National Institutes of Health by $2 billion, continuing our quest to cure diseases like Alzheimer's and cancer, and unlock the secrets of genetic conditions like Down syndrome. We have provided increases to help our Nation prepare for public health emergencies, and included $6.7 billion to fight and, hopefully, end the opioid abuse epidemic, including $1.1 billion of grants to States. I am also proud to say that the agreement includes $50 million for a new Infectious Disease Rapid Response Reserve Fund. The fund will not only save American lives, it will save money too.…”