Affordable Insulin Now Act
Floor Speech
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Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1404, I call up the bill (H.R. 6833) to amend title XXVII of the Public Health Service Act, the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to establish requirements with respect to cost- sharing for certain insulin products, and for other purposes, with the Senate amendment thereto, and ask for its immediate consideration.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
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Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion at the desk.
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Ms. DeLAURO. 6833.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Continuing Appropriations and Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, which extends funding for Federal programs and services through December 16.
With a 72-25 vote, the United States Senate approved this legislation with the support of all Democrats and 22 Republicans, including Senators Shelby and McConnell.
Before I begin, I want to acknowledge the millions of people in Florida, Puerto Rico, Alaska, and elsewhere reeling from recent disasters, stranded without power and other necessary resources, and mourning the loss of loved ones. This institution will stand with communities across America as they rebuild and recover.
With the many challenges facing our Nation and the world, including devastating natural disasters and the high cost of living, we cannot wait any longer to pass this bill.
This bill guarantees that we have the means to continue the important work we are doing to help middle class and working families with the cost of living, support vulnerable Americans by keeping roofs over the heads of millions of families and food on their tables, uphold our commitment to our veterans, and strengthen our national security. But this is not enough, and this solution is only a short-term one.
The Appropriations Committee and House Democrats worked to clear all 12 government funding bills out of committee and pass six on the floor of the House this summer. These are transformational bills needed to meet the moment and tackle our Nation's biggest challenges.
The legislation before us allows additional time for bipartisan, bicameral negotiations to enact final 2023 funding bills.
The bill also includes $12.35 billion in necessary emergency funding to support the Ukrainian people and global democracy in the face of Russia's grievous invasion of Ukraine. This body came together twice earlier this year to deliver on our commitment to the courageous people of Ukraine, but most of those resources have already been disbursed or committed.
For that reason, this bill includes necessary security assistance for Ukraine, including $3 billion for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative to keep weapons and ammunition flowing without interruption, and $1.5 billion to replenish U.S. stocks of equipment sent through drawdown authority.
We also help Ukraine protect its democracy by supporting the continuity of its democratic government and delivery of citizen services with $4.5 billion. This contribution ensures we continue upholding our moral responsibility to support the people of Ukraine in the face of a vicious invasion that continues to demand decisive action from us.
The bill also includes safeguards over these funds, such as a requirement of third-party monitoring and a certification by the Secretary of State that protects against corruption.
With $2 million for the DOD Inspector General to monitor funds and provide Congress with a report inventorying security assistance, we ensure weapons are used for their intended purpose by their intended recipients.
At the same time, this bill responds to the devastation that recent natural disasters and extreme weather events have left behind. As the climate crisis wreaks havoc on communities all over our Nation, this legislation provides significant support for disaster response and recovery efforts.
Included in this is a critical $20 million in funding to complete previously authorized Army Corps of Engineers projects that will help address the water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi, and upgrade its water and wastewater infrastructure.
In the wealthiest Nation in the world, the bare minimum every person deserves is drinking water that is clean and safe, and this bill gets us one step closer to that minimum.
By fully funding the Disaster Relief Fund, this bill responds to Hurricane Ian in Florida; to the crisis left behind in Puerto Rico after the devastating Hurricane Fiona; and to the severe storm, flooding, and landslides in Alaska, helping with recovery and disaster relief efforts.
We also provide $1 billion in funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program to help lower-income families cover the rising energy costs of home heating and cooling; including $2.5 billion to address the largest wildfire in New Mexico, in their history, that started from prescribed burns on Federal land; and support these and other communities all over the Nation, including Kentucky, California, Louisiana, and Texas, by providing $2 billion to help address unmet housing, infrastructure, and economic recovery needs in communities recovering from recent wildfires, major storms, droughts, floods, and extreme heat.
While this legislation provides a bridge to an omnibus, it is not perfect. I am saddened that the continuing resolution does not fully meet some of our country's most urgent needs, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and monkey pox outbreak. I will continue working to provide the resources to combat these public health crises and support the areas in need of additional resources to recover from natural disasters.
Despite these shortcomings, the investments included in this bill are urgent and necessary to avoid disruptions to vital Federal agencies, to help communities get back on their feet, and to ensure we have the time needed to negotiate a final funding agreement that meets the needs of hardworking people.
I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
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Ms. DeLAURO. Wasserman Schultz), the chair of the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairwoman for yielding.
I rise to support this continuing resolution that will keep our Federal Government open and deliver the vital services that impact us all.
Look no further than Southwest Florida, in my home State, where Hurricane Ian inflicted tragic human loss and massive property damage. While we pray for those who endured Ian's wrath and those who still face it, let's pass this continuing resolution and offer more than well wishes.
Thankfully, President Biden declared a major disaster, unleashing extensive Federal aid and assistance for the counties hit by Ian. But this CR will allow FEMA and other Federal partners to keep assistance flowing to Florida in our time of need, while also aiding those hurting in Puerto Rico, Alaska, New Mexico, and Mississippi.
We cannot leave communities behind that are still picking up the pieces from disastrous floods, wildfires, and hurricanes, and even basic water system failures. This Federal funding bill comes to their rescue by helping to meet long-term housing, infrastructure, and recovery needs.
This CR also extends funding for vital Federal education, health, housing, and public safety programs. It keeps up school, job training, and child nutritional investments, and it keeps funds flowing to address badly needed affordable housing problems which plague so many families in Florida.
Anyone who understands the housing struggles that millions of Americans face cannot possibly ignore the relief that this CR offers. This legislation also keeps America's security intact, while also supporting those brave veterans who defended us.
This CR also confronts Russia's fake elections to annex parts of Ukraine, whose families urgently need our support to defend global democracy and turn back a murderous communist tyrant.
I am pleased that this continuing resolution before us reflects that vanishing breed of bipartisan, bicameral, negotiated compromise.
I hope our colleagues on the other side of the aisle respect that and honor the trust that Americans hand us to maintain an orderly economy and state of affairs. This CR provides that basic test of governance.
Americans want our government funding bills to help reduce their cost of living, support their families, create good jobs, and combat climate change. This continuing funding legislation gives us the time we need to ensure our 2023 bills will do exactly that.
Let's keep America running so Congress can complete America's critical fiscal work.
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Ms. DeLAURO.
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Ms. DeLAURO. Jackson Lee).
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her leadership.
I am very glad to say that there is something that responsibility calls you to do: save lives. This CR indicates that we will not shut the government down in the face of disasters around the world. We will not freeze out low-income families by not providing them with the home energy assistance program. And, yes, we will ensure that agencies like housing and health and public safety, to reduce the crime across America, to respond to the needs of our police officers and victims of crime, will not shut down.
But, yes, we will also recognize that we are good neighbors. In Pakistan, 33 million people have been dislocated because of catastrophic floods of Biblical proportions. Mothers are about to deliver babies, 70,000 of them, and we can help them as USAID goes and does its work internationally.
I am glad that we are putting a stop sign on closing the government down. I wish our friends on the other side would join us.
Finally, I want us to give more money to the hostage section of the Department of State because people like Brittney Griner are in cages in Russia, and we have to get our hostages out. Americans are looking for America to stand by their side.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairwoman very much and again applaud her persistence in helping the American people.
As I finish, on the issue of Brittney Griner, introducing this to many of our colleagues that don't know, she is a hostage in Putin's Russia. Playing basketball there was her only crime, if you will. There she is, in a cage in Russia, a hostage since February.
We have a department that works on this issue inside the Department of State. I want to implore them and make sure they have the resources for the many Americans who are innocently held by countries around the world. It is a tragedy and a shame that we have a circumstance where Americans cannot travel. I am grateful for that support.
I am also grateful to acknowledge, if you will, the Disaster Relief Fund for our domestic crises. As I said earlier, a man was interviewed in Florida and said: I have lost everything, my house and everything in it.
There are a million people with no access to power, so this is a crucial and important CR. Puerto Rico is in need. It is a crucial and important CR. We always stand to hand out to our friends around the Nation and around the world. That is the United States of America. That is why we are passing the CR.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Senate amendment to H.R. 6833: the Continuing Resolution to fund the federal government through December 16, 2022.
I commend our colleagues in the Senate and the House for crafting this bipartisan, bicameral agreement that keeps the federal government fully operational without any interruption.
The agreement that led to this Continuing Resolution reflects our commitment to the policies on which Americans rely.
It reassures the American people that our government will continue to deliver all services while negotiations continue on funding federal agencies, programs, activities, and services for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2023.
Passing this continuing resolution might appear to be a basic ministerial act; but it is actually much more than that and highly consequential.
Throughout my 27 years of service in Congress, I have never lost sight of my principal responsibilities to my constituents and to the American people.
Paramount among them are two priorities: to do everything we can to keep our country and our people safe, and to provide the vitally necessary services and activities that preserve and enhance quality-of- life standards for all Americans.
Keeping our country safe includes protecting Americans from:
domestic terrorism and violent extremism,
public health pandemics,
aggression from adversarial countries and non-country actors,
environmental hazards to our air and water,
food and drug contamination,
racially based hate crimes, and
gun violence, which we advanced this summer by enacting the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.
Maintaining vital services includes providing:
health care and public health programs,
food stamps and SNAP funding,
clean air and water standards,
weather forecasting to enable resilience against natural disasters and FEMA funding to help rebuild lives and communities after they strike,
child nutrition and immunizations,
education programs and funding,
economic and business support programs that help create jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities,
workplace safety protections and safeguards for employee rights,
prosecution of crimes and protections of civil rights,
housing assistance and homelessness prevention assistance,
broadband and other communication services,
medical research and healthcare innovation,
American leadership in the world community, and
myriad other services and programs that are synonymous with service to all Americans, especially those who are most in need of a helping hand to uplift themselves and thrive.
Both of these goals--keeping Americans safe and providing vital services--require that the federal government and all of its programs remain fully operational at all times without any interruption, especially a disruption due to political discord.
It is incumbent upon Congress to pass appropriations bills that enable the federal government to fulfill its diverse mandates.
With 535 members of the House and Senate, is essential that we negotiate, compromise, and reach agreements to ensure that the government will deliver for the American people on all activities that we are entrusted to perform.
Failure is not an option because the consequences on peoples' lives and livelihoods would be far too great to bear.
Failure would debilitate our economy, eliminate jobs, and devastate family finances.
Failure would mean that:
the health of Americans would suffer,
more people would become homeless,
production of food would be limited and its safety put at risk,
public safety would be impaired,
rebuilding from natural disasters would grind to a halt,
veterans and Social Security recipients would not receive their checks, and
the global stature of the United States would be diminished, among many other unacceptable outcomes.
These are just some of the reasons why I support passage of this Continuing Resolution.
It is imperative that we keep the federal government open and fully functional over the next few months as we continue to craft appropriations legislation that will fuel the federal government for the remainder of this fiscal year.
During this time, we will be able to craft language to improve government operations, address urgent needs, and accelerate forward- looking initiatives that will strengthen our country, ensure equity, and enhance opportunity for all Americans.
Yet, some needs are already well recognized. That is why I am particularly pleased that this bill not only continues funding for government programs and services at their current rate, but also includes funding for critically necessary activities, and extends programs that would have expired.
Some of the many provisions in the bill that would achieve these aims and which I fully support are the:
$1 billion in aid to Jackson Mississippi to help them resolve their water crisis,
$1 billion in Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program support to help low income families afford heat during the upcoming cold weather months,
funding for victims of natural disasters that is needed to help them restore their homes and rebuild their lives,
maintenance of social security customer service systems,
$2 billion for the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery program,
extension of child and family services programs,
extension of veterans' health care and housing supports,
fortification of cybersecurity by funding the newly created Office of the National Cyber Director,
enhancement of the Judiciary's court security program,
extension of the national flood insurance program,
funding of the FDA to continue its activities, and
$12.35 billion in aid to Ukraine that will enable them to combat Russia's hegemony.
Mr. Speaker, this continuing resolution is crucial for the sustenance and resilience of the American people.
I urge all my colleagues to support the Continuing Resolution so that we can keep the government operating while we negotiate a comprehensive bill to maintain programs, services, and activities through the remainder of this fiscal year.
We need this bill. We need this bill to continue negotiating final 2023 funding bills.
With the bill before us, what is in this bill, and why is it so onerous to some?
We provide relief to working families, our schools, our children, small businesses, and communities across this Nation.
We support the people of Ukraine. We support them in what is the fight for their lives, for their democracy, and for world democracy against Russian aggression.
We protect communities everywhere in need of safe water. We help to rebuild them from crushing natural disasters.
This bill will make a very real difference in the lives of Americans everywhere, and I am proud to support it.
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