During a House Appropriations Hearing earlier this month, Rep. Frank Mrvan (D-IN) spoke about the Republican Party's commerce, justice, and science appropriations bill.
00:00Mr. Bervin. Thank you Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Meng for the
00:07opportunity to speak on the Fiscal Year 26 of Commerce Justice Science
00:11Appropriations Bill. While the administration has taken an axe to
00:14federal programs that are essential to ensuring public safety, growing our
00:18economy, and maintaining our national security, our constituents, community
00:22organizations, government workers, and law enforcement alike have sounded the
00:27alarm. The majority will claim that massive cuts, including the elimination
00:31of government programs and reductions in force, will limit waste, fraud, and abuse.
00:36However, these actions have only proven to leave necessary services that people rely
00:41on hanging in the balance and disrupt the livelihoods of everyday Americans. I am
00:46not willing to accept this as a pathway to fulfilling the present needs of our
00:50communities. We must do all we can to protect law enforcement officers in
00:56the line of duty, which means providing local police departments with resources
01:00to protect themselves and our communities. Instead, this bill would
01:04decrease spending for the organized crime drug enforcement task forces, the Federal
01:09Bureau of Investigations, and eliminate grants for community violence
01:13intervention and prevention. I've been a staunch supporter of efforts to
01:17strengthen state and local police responses to crime, and I am deeply
01:21concerned these cuts coupled with recent action taken by the Department of
01:25Justice to terminate over $800 million in grants dedicated to keeping our
01:29communities safer will only exacerbate gaps in public safety. I joined this
01:35committee to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to develop
01:38legislation that reflects the needs of our communities. This proposal is
01:42woefully inadequate. Simply put, we must fund departments, agencies, and
01:47programs to a capacity in which they are able to ensure the safety and security of
01:53everyone in the nation, regardless of their background, zip code, or economic
01:56status. Instead, the majority would rather cut STEM education and research, attack
02:01women's reproductive health care, and deny survivors the violence, the services they
02:06need to recover from partners and environments that threaten their safety. For
02:10example, in my district, 983 children, 161 survivors of domestic violence, 62 veterans, and 219 seniors are at risk of losing out their legal service as a result of this
02:23proposed program cuts. Additionally, this legislation weakens our economy by shifting
02:28costs on households rather than protecting the vast majority of Americans who will
02:33receive no benefits from the tax incentives that were recently signed into law.
02:38Specifically, the proposal would gut the Economic Development Administration, which is
02:43integral in revitalization efforts in communities across Northwest Indiana. The bill
02:49also decreases funding for the International Trade Administration by 183 million.
02:54Maintaining a level playing field in global trade markets is reliant upon a
02:58well-funded ITA. Whether it be a teacher, a nurse, a steel worker in my district, my
03:04constituents are concerned about costs at the grocery store and lasting
03:08certainty in our markets. It is because of these reasons that cannot support moving
03:12this legislation forward and I urge my colleagues to join me in opposition. With
