House Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) today delivered the following remarks on the House Floor in support of, the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs appropriations bill:
I thank the Chair. For both of us this is a maiden voyage, so it is wonderful to be with you. And I thank you for the work that you’ve done. And I want to say a thank you to the Ranking Member as well for the work on this bill.
Mr. Speaker, the past four years have seriously eroded our nation’s position in the world. Under President Trump, our government was more disruptive than constructive and more absent than present on the world stage. This has been especially true in the midst of the worst public health and economic crisis in a generation.
President Biden has made it clear that America is back. The State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs funding bill puts those words into action. It makes America stronger at home and respected again in the world. It restores American leadership by responding to global health threats, including the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. And it addresses urgent humanitarian needs while confronting the climate crisis.
As we speak, the global pandemic is far from over. Around the world, we are still seeing over 400,000 new cases per day and over 8,000 deaths. To confront this continuing crisis, this bill invests in global health and the prevention of future pandemics with $10.6 billion to support the health of families and global communities, including $1 billion in global health security to bolster the public health surveillance, detection, and response capabilities of countries around the world.
Given the global economic devastation wrought by the pandemic, this bill provides $8.5 billion to meet urgent humanitarian needs. And it empowers women to build a brighter future for their families and communities by providing $760 million for family planning and $70 million for the United Nations Population Fund while repealing restrictions that make it more difficult for women across the world to access safe and legal abortions.
Finally, this bill prepares us for the existential threat of climate change. It provides more than $3 billion to address the Climate Crisis and other environmental programs, including $1.6 billion for the Green Climate Fund.
With this bill we are proving that America is back and ready to confront the biggest challenges facing our nation and world.
I thank Chairwoman Lee for her work, urge support for the bill, and yield back the balance of my time.
Source: U.S. Department of HCA
