Washington, D.C. — Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) released the following statement on H.R. 2740, a four-bill appropriations package which passed the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday by a vote of 226 to 203. Voting in support of the package, Congressman Nadler applauded the funding to improve access to health care and higher education, renew research into the epidemic of gun violence, and reverse the detrimental effects of climate change.

Below is Rep. Nadler's full statement:

"Yesterday, I voted to support the first FY2020 Appropriations Package, a robust funding bill that makes bold investments to improve access to healthcare and higher education, protect women’s reproductive rights, and combat the detrimental effects of climate change while rejecting the President’s harmful budget cuts and blocking funding for a wall on the Southern Border.

"I am proud that this bill protects the ability of every American to access quality, affordable healthcare by restoring funding for the ACA Navigator program and ACA enrollment outreach efforts. It also includes $41.1 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a much-needed $2 billion increase, with additional funding made available for Alzheimer’s disease research, HIV/AIDS research, the precision medicine research initiative, and the Cancer Moonshot research initiative. The bill also includes, $2.4 billion for the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, a $116 million increase, and additional investments in other critical HIV/AIDS initiatives including $120 million in funds to reduce new HIV infections by 90 percent in 10 years.

"Perhaps most significantly, for the first time in over 20 years, this bill includes $50 million in critical funding for federal agencies to study firearm injury & mortality prevention research. Gun violence is a public health crisis that requires a comprehensive public health response from the federal government. This funding is vital to ending the gun violence epidemic that has gripped our nation for far too long.

"I am especially proud that the Minibus invests heavily in programs that support women’s reproductive rights and empower women, including $400 million for Title X, a $114 million increase, which will ensure people, regardless of income, have access to preventive reproductive health care and unbiased family planning services.  Importantly, the bill blocks the Trump administration’s disastrous Title X Gag Rule and the Global Gag Rule. Blocking these rules will ensure that federal programs at home and abroad provide the most up to date, scientific, non-biased family planning services available. Additionally, the bill increases funding for the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program, eliminates funding for abstinence-only education programs, and increases funding for the CDC Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) prevention program, which provides low-cost and affordable STI testing and treatment. I am also pleased that the bill provides $18 million to the Women’s Bureau in the Department of Labor, a $4 million increase, to address the needs of women in the workforce.   

"This Appropriations package makes historic investments in education and significantly expands student assistance to attend college. The bill includes nearly $25 billion for Federal student aid programs, a nearly $500 million increase, which includes an overdue increase in the maximum Pell Grant. The bill also invests heavily in early childhood programs by increasing the Child Care and Development Block Grant by $2.4 billion to $7.7 billion and the Head Start Program by $1.5 billion to $11.6 billion. The bill rejects the President’s request to defund GEAR UP, a program focused on increasing the college and career readiness of low-income students, and includes a $1 billion increase for Title I-Grants and IDEA grants that support special education.

"After years of inaction by House Republicans, I am pleased that the Appropriations package includes significant investments in renewable energy and measures to combat climate change. The bill blocks the Trump Administration from withdrawing from the Paris Agreement and strengthens our commitment to the Green Climate Fund, an international effort to assist low-income countries combating climate change. The bill also provides $2.65 billion for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Initiatives and $425 million to support research aimed at developing new & innovative energy technologies, programs that have been subject to draconian cuts under the Republicans. These investments support clean, affordable, and secure energy while ensuring American leadership in the transition to a global renewable energy economy.   

"Finally, the bill strengthens American leadership abroad by repealing the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), restricting the President from initiating hostilities with Iran without justification, ending U.S. involvement in the war in Yemen, and reversing the impact of the Administration’s hiring freeze at the State Department and USAID. Furthermore, the bill includes urgently-needed humanitarian assistance for refugees and those recovering from international disasters.

"Despite these crucial investments, I am disappointed that this bill maintains the Hyde Amendment, an outdated abortion coverage ban that disproportionately impacts low-income women and women of color. Access to basic reproductive healthcare should be available to everyone, not just those who can afford it. That is why I am a proud cosponsor of the EACH Woman Act, a bill to finally repeal abortion coverage bans and ensure that every woman, regardless of income, state of residence, race, or any other factor has the freedom to access abortion and make healthcare decisions on their own terms."