Adam Schiff Calls Out 'Major Problem' In Republicans' Rescissions Package

During remarks on the Senate floor Wednesday, Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) spoke about the Republican rescissions package.

Transcript

00:00Mr. President, I call up Amendment 2862 and ask that it be reported by number.

00:06The clerk will report.

00:08The senator from California, Mr. Schiff, for himself and others,

00:12approves an Amendment number 2862 to Amendment number 2853.

00:17Mr. President, my Republican colleagues have offered a substitute amendment

00:21that claims to prohibit cuts for programs dealing with HIV, tuberculosis,

00:26malaria, as well as nutrition and maternal health support.

00:30But the total amount of money they are rescinding is unchanged,

00:33putting all of those efforts at risk.

00:36If this sounds familiar, it's a lot like a reconciliation process

00:39that demands a trillion dollars in cuts but says that Medicaid should not be touched.

00:45And we know what happened there.

00:47Medicaid was cut massively.

00:50Several Republicans have pointed out that we don't know how the administration

00:53is going to implement this bill.

00:55That's a major problem.

00:57So let's make this as simple as possible.

01:00The Senate doesn't want to cut funding for AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria,

01:03and other diseases.

01:05Then let's remove those rescissions.

01:07My amendment would reduce the amount of cuts to global health programs

01:11in order to ensure that funding for HIV, tuberculosis, malaria,

01:16and maternal health and nutrition programs remain,

01:19not just in theory, but in real dollars and cents.

01:23I urge a yes vote.

01:25Mr. President.

01:28Senator from Missouri.

01:29Thank you, Mr. President.

01:30I rise in opposition to this amendment from Senator Schiff

01:32that reduces the global health rescission from $500 million to $66 million

01:37to fence off unobligated balances for HIV, AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and other diseases.

01:42We already do that in the substitute.

01:45What we're also doing in the substitute, though,

01:47I would point out is targeting egregious waste like $7.4 million for a curriculum

01:52that teaches practitioners about environmental racism and DEI.

01:56Remember, that $7.4 million could have been used to save lives.

02:01By slashing the amount rescinded from the global health funding,

02:03we would be allowing this inexcusable use of taxpayer dollars to continue.

02:07With that, I urge my colleagues to vote no on Amendment 2862.

02:16I ask for the ayes and ayes.

02:19Is there a sufficient second?

02:21Appears to be.