Bill Lee: “First, let me thank our ranking member for yielding and, really, for her tireless advocacy on behalf of all Americans. I…”

“First, let me thank our ranking member for yielding and, really, for her tireless advocacy on behalf of all Americans. I rise in strong opposition to this rule and the underlying bill, the so-called Make America Secure and Prosperous Appropriations Act. Mr. Speaker, let's make one thing clear: this bill breaks Republicans' promise to get back to regular order, while blocking the majority of amendments to be considered on the floor. Also, as an African-American woman, I can't help but see how these cuts impact communities of color. It may be easy to think of budgets in terms of dollar signs and decimal points, but the disturbing truth is that the decisions we make here affect lives. If we are honest, many of these decisions in this bill disproportionately affect Black and Brown lives. For instance, the bill eliminates the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative, the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Communities Health Program--just eliminates it--and Title X family planning, which many women of color and men rely on. It eliminates the Health and Career Opportunities Program, which provides training and grants for health careers for minority-serving institutions, and it eliminates the Minority AIDS Initiative, just to name a few. These are just under the Health and Human Services provision. This bill cuts $3 billion from the Pell Grant Surplus Program, $190 million in 21st Century Community Schools, and eliminates the comprehensive literacy program.…”