'Blocks Us From Conducting Important Oversight': Suzanne Bonamici Hits GOP For Resolutions Of Inquiry Block

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In remarks on the House floor last week, Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) spoke about Republicans blocking resolutions of inquiry from Democrats.

Transcript

00:00for five minutes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to condemn the decision of my colleagues

00:05to block the House from considering resolutions of inquiry, a procedure that is designed to get

00:11members of Congress factual information from the executive branch. Education Committee

00:16ranking member Scott and I introduced a resolution of inquiry that was scheduled to be considered

00:22yesterday during the Committee on Education and the Workforce Reconciliation Markup. But

00:28unfortunately, while the markup was in recess, the Republicans adopted a rule that blocks

00:33resolutions of inquiry from being considered. It was especially frustrating because we could

00:38have debated the resolution yesterday morning, but apparently the majority delayed consideration

00:43so they could pass this language in fine print that blocks us from conducting important oversight

00:49of policies and programs that are in the Committee's jurisdiction. Our resolution is simple. It asks

00:55the President and the Department of Health and Human Services to tell Congress why they

00:59plan to eliminate the Administration for Community Living, an agency that administers programs designed

01:06to support older adults and people with disabilities and helps them stay in their homes. The public

01:11deserves to know what will happen if these programs are eliminated. The Administration for

01:16Community Living, known as ACL, was founded around the fundamental principle that older adults

01:22and people of all ages with disabilities should, whenever possible, be able to live where they

01:27choose, with the people they choose, and with the ability to participate fully in their

01:31communities. Bringing programs that serve those two populations together and sharing expertise

01:37actually made the programs work better and more efficiently. Unfortunately, at the end of March,

01:43the Trump Administration announced a dramatic restructuring of the Department of Human Services that includes

01:49the elimination of the Administration for Community Living. Now is not the time to dismantle an agency

01:56that supports older adults and people with disabilities. More than 11,000 people turn 65 every day. In 2022,

02:04the people who are aged 65 and older represented at least 17 percent of the U.S. population,

02:10and more than one in four adults experience a disability, including most adults over 75. The

02:16Administration for Community Living programs improve the lives of millions of older adults

02:21and people with disabilities and also benefit their families and their caregivers. It's the only

02:26government entity that advocates across the federal government for these populations. But because my

02:31colleagues blocked consideration of this resolution, I want to take this opportunity to tell you more

02:36about what is at risk. Through the Older Americans Act, the Administration for Community Living runs

02:41senior centers, distributes more than 200 million meals every year to older adults and people with

02:47disabilities through the Meals on Wheels program. Seniors need access to nutritious food so they can lead

02:53healthy lives. And it's not just the food. The person delivering the meal is often the only social contact

02:58the client will have that day, which is especially important to address social isolation. It's disheartening to see this

03:05administration advocating for policies that will put essential food assistance for older Americans

03:10at risk. And the ACL does more than food assistance. They support paid and unpaid caregivers, including

03:16family caregivers and Native American caregivers. They study better ways to support older adults living

03:22with HIV. They protect seniors from abuse through the Adult Protective Services program. They provide

03:28programming to reduce social isolation and loneliness. They support protection and advocacy program for people with

03:34disabilities. They conduct research into fall prevention, chronic disease management, and

03:39Alzheimer's disease. They safeguard vulnerable adults through the long-term care ombudsman program. And

03:45they address elder justice issues like abuse, neglect, and exploitation. They provide legal assistance for

03:51disabled people and more. These are just some of the reasons we introduced the resolution of inquiry to ask what will

03:58happen to these important programs with the administration's plan to eliminate ACL. We are a co-equal branch of

04:05government and we need this information to make prudent decisions on behalf of our constituents.

04:10But as of yesterday, the majority blocked our ability to get those questions answered. Unfortunately,

04:16the Republican majority is also using the same shady tactic to take away the authority of Congress to legislate tariff

04:22policy, likely because they know their positions are wildly unpopular and proper oversight would highlight

04:28these failings. This is a yet another example of the erosion of separation of powers we are seeing in

04:34this administration and this Congress. I've heard many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle talk

04:39about the importance of transparency and accountability. I hope they live up to that and prove that by stopping the

04:46block on resolution resolutions of inquiry and I yield back the balance of my

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