T. Gorton: “with all respect, it seems to this Senator that this amendment is more about the National Endowment for the Arts than it…”

“with all respect, it seems to this Senator that this amendment is more about the National Endowment for the Arts than it is about the Indian Health Service. To give a comparison, the amount of money for the Indian Health Service in this bill is more than $2.5 billion. The amount for the National Endowment for the Arts cultural institutions is $105 million. As a consequence, this amendment would add to the Indian Health Service something less than one-third of 1 percent of the budget of the Indian Health Service --something less than one-third of 1 percent. It would subtract from the National Endowment for the Arts some 7 percent of the amount of money appropriated to it. Our bill provides a $143 million increase for the Indian Health Service for next year over the current year, more than the entire appropriation for the National Endowment for the Arts. I find it ironic it was less than an hour ago that this Senator was praised by the Senator from New Mexico, who is a vocal advocate for the Indian Health Service, for the generosity with which we were treating that service. Of the amount we are talking about for the Indian Health Service, $56 million is specifically for improved clinical services, which obviously could include diabetes treatment and prevention efforts.”