During a House Appropriations Committee hearing last week, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) accused the Trump administration of threatening Congress' authority over appropriations.
00:00With that, I now recognize my very good friend, the ranking member of the full committee, Mr. Lowell, for her opening remarks on the bill.
00:07Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and I want to thank Chairman Womack and ranking member Clyburn.
00:13You know, this is an extraordinary committee, which I think everyone here is very proud to serve on,
00:19and I've had the privilege of serving on the Appropriations Committee probably for the last 25 years.
00:25And I've had the opportunity to work with both sides of the aisle in producing legislation that will help to make a difference in the lives of the American people,
00:37which is the goal of what this institution is all about.
00:41And I treasure the friendships on both sides of the aisle that we can come together and produce legislation that does make that difference in people's lives,
00:51gives them an opportunity for the success they deserve because how hardworking they are.
00:57So I thank you for being here this morning.
01:02I thank the staff for the great work, staff on both sides of the aisle that make a difference.
01:06As I always say, they keep our names on the door.
01:10And I particularly want to say a thank you to Christina Monroe, Jackie Kilroy, and Nora Fay.
01:16And with my opening comments, which makes me very, really sad to have to stand up and to oppose this bill,
01:26a bill that will make affordable housing and quality transportation options more expensive and out of reach for more Americans.
01:35We are in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, and housing and transportation are two of the largest expenses for American households.
01:43The burden of everyday necessities, rent, mortgage rates, housing prices, home insurance, car insurance, has skyrocketed.
01:53Americans are desperate for help with housing and transportation costs.
01:58But President Trump is not laser-focused on the cost of living, which he is actually making worse.
02:04And with this bill, I have to conclude that nor are House Republicans.
02:07Their big, ugly bill is handing massive tax breaks to billionaires and the biggest corporations,
02:14while driving up the costs for middle-class families to buy a home
02:19and abandoning neighborhoods devastated by natural disasters and struggling with historic disinvestment.
02:27And today, we are considering another House Republican bill,
02:30which will raise costs for struggling American families,
02:33make it harder for them to get by.
02:36Never mind that we have no complete budget.
02:39We are holding this markup in a completely unprecedented time,
02:43as the Congress's authority is being challenged by a lawless administration.
02:51Since taking office, President Trump's administration has stolen resources
02:56appropriated by the Congress, Democrats and Republicans,
03:00for programs and services across the federal government,
03:03including several in this bill that helped to grow the middle class,
03:07protect workers, and support Americans' businesses.
03:10We cannot continue as the Appropriations Committee to abdicate the power that we have
03:18prescribed by the Constitution, abdicate that power of the purse to the executive.
03:24We are looking at grants for non-profits to fight the scourge of housing discrimination terminated,
03:31meaning that many Americans, including people with disabilities,
03:35will go without safe and sufficient housing.
03:38As seniors and families face increased energy costs,
03:41this administration is freezing a program that helps make their housing more energy efficient
03:46and resilient from natural disasters.
03:49Taxpayer-funded investments to repair our roads, our bridges, transit systems,
03:55and ports that create jobs, boost local economies, have been stolen,
04:00creating costly delays and risking jobs.
04:03All of these programs Congress enacted in appropriated funding for in law.
04:08It's the law of the land.
04:09They are substituting Congress's decisions and judgments with their own.
04:15These cuts affect all of our constituents.
04:17Recently, NeighborWorks New Horizons was able to assist one of their residents
04:21in fulfilling her dream of purchasing her own home.
04:25Jan, a longtime employee of Yale New Haven Hospital,
04:28was a NeighborWorks tenant for over 10 years.
04:31And when she expressed that she wanted her piece of the American dream,
04:35NeighborWorks provided her with counseling services,
04:38like budget coaching and homebuyer education.
04:41When she discovered that NeighborWorks was building a house
04:43down the street from her apartment,
04:45she asked if she was qualified to buy it.
04:48NeighborWorks helped her navigate the process,
04:50connected her to another organization
04:52that offered her down payment and closing cost assistance.
04:56NeighborWorks makes the American dream possible
04:58for people who otherwise may not have reached it.
05:01And later in this markup, I will offer an amendment
05:03to restore funding for the home program,
05:06legal assistance grants,
05:08housing counseling,
05:09and for NeighborWorks.
05:11But the Trump administration's stealing
05:12and the bill before us today
05:14puts the American dream further out of reach
05:16for the working class and the middle class.
05:19It makes it more difficult
05:20for those struggling to keep a roof over their head
05:23to secure and remain in affordable housing.
05:26It fails to prevent several hundred thousand evictions
05:28across the country by shorting rent payments
05:31for public housing by $1.5 billion
05:34and the Section 8 voucher program by $3 billion.
05:39This bill falls short of providing vulnerable seniors
05:42and people with disabilities the safety net they need
05:45to stay secure in their homes.
05:48Nearly three-quarters of a million Americans
05:50experience homelessness.
05:52But this bill shortchanges homeless assistance grants,
05:57which would mean nearly 28,000 fewer people
06:00who are currently living on the street
06:02will receive the help they need to secure housing.
06:05While housing costs are escalating faster
06:07than Americans can keep up,
06:09so too are the costs of transportation.
06:12New cars, used cars, insurance,
06:13all making transportation unaffordable.
06:15So what does the majority's bill do to help gut investments
06:19in our transit networks
06:21that relieve Americans of high transportation costs?
06:25The majority is zeroing out investments for Amtrak,
06:29forcing the railroad to dig into the couch cushions
06:32in hopes of finding what they need to pay their workers,
06:36maintain service, and keep their train system safe.
06:40This bill delays rail infrastructure improvements
06:43already underway from New York to Norman, Oklahoma.
06:48This bill's evisceration of commuter transportation
06:50halts improvements for rail and bus transit everywhere,
06:55from Miami to Salt Lake City to Columbus to San Antonio,
06:59and yes, to New Haven, Connecticut.
07:01Connecticut Department of Transportation Commissioner
07:04Garrett Ugolito reached out after reviewing
07:07the majority's bill,
07:09alarmed by the cuts and transfers of funds
07:12from the bipartisan infrastructure law.
07:15He said, and I quote,
07:17with over $10 billion in capital needs
07:19on the New Haven line,
07:21which the state of Connecticut inherited
07:23from a bankrupt private railroad
07:25that failed to invest for decades,
07:28we cannot make these repairs on our own.
07:32The T-HUD majority proposal
07:34will not only stop progress
07:35on improving the Northeast Corridor,
07:38but will set us back on our heels
07:40just as we have started to see momentum,
07:43end quote.
07:44Americans cannot keep up
07:45with the cost of housing and transportation.
07:48This committee has the power
07:50to do something about it,
07:52and we should.
07:53Unfortunately, this bill,
07:56the majority has instead pursued
07:58draconian funding levels
07:59and a pro-eviction,
08:01pro-road congestion agenda
08:04that will only make household budgets tighter.
