Amendment No. 1 Offered By Mr. Massie

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of my amendment to strip out the earmarks within the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education division from the underlying legislation.

This includes over 900 earmarks totaling nearly $1.4 billion in spending of money we don't have.

Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Harris).

Mr. HARRIS of North Carolina. Mr. Chair, I thank Representative Norman for his amendment.

Mr. Chair, my constituents do not send their hard-earned tax dollars to Washington so that they can be funneled to abortion providers or hospitals that mutilate children, yet that is exactly what many of these earmarks do.

A vote for this amendment will remove $3 million for Seattle Children's Hospital, which proudly offers transgender care to children. It would strip $1 million to Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago, which also provides transgender treatment to minors.

It would remove over $2 million to Kittitas Valley Healthcare in Washington State, a facility that performs chemical and surgical abortions even after 20 weeks.

I realize some argue these dollars are not directly paying for abortions or gender surgeries, but when we give taxpayer handouts like these, we free up resources for these exact practices.

I do not know how any Republican can support keeping these special handouts in this bill. While I wish my original amendment was considered to target the most egregious earmarks, I still urge a ``yes'' vote.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Chair, I agree with Ms. DeLauro. If the communities want these, that is fine. They ought to pay for them. I don't know whether my colleague realizes it or not, but we are $39 trillion in debt and counting. Let me just give my friend examples of some of the things she may have not thought about.

We have $1,599,000 for Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems. It operates a pediatric gender clinic that provides sex-rejecting hormones for gender-diverse and transgender children.

We have $4,008,000 for ChristianaCare Health Services. It provides late-term abortions through 23 weeks.

The Stroger Hospital in Illinois performs abortions through 13 weeks.

The Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago provides transgender treatments.

Temple University Hospital in Pennsylvania provides transgender care for adults.

Any of the communities that want this should put their money up to pay for it. The taxpayers cannot afford it.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Chair, I yield an additional 15 seconds to the gentleman from Georgia.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Chair, may I inquire how as to much time is remaining.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. NORMAN. Mr. Chair, this is a prime example of government gone wild and government programs that are using our money that I think the majority of Americans would reject. If now is not the time, I don't know when is. It will be too late when the investors stop buying our bonds and everything comes to a dead halt in America. We can't let that happen.

Mr. Chair, these earmarks are against every conservative value that is known. The intent of these is wrong. The expenditure of these is wrong. Now is the time we face it and put a stop to these. This is just the first step in a long stairway to get this country back on a firm financial footing.

Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source