Latest news with #RosaDeLauro
Washington Post
14 hours ago
- Health
- Washington Post
I'm a Democrat. RFK Jr. is right about food additives.
Rosa DeLauro, a Democrat, represents Connecticut's 3rd Congressional District in the U.S. House. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and I don't agree on much — but we both know the Food and Drug Administration needs to get serious about food regulation. Most Americans have no idea that the FDA puts synthetic and potentially carcinogenic additives in the same category as salt. It's called GRAS — 'generally recognized as safe' — yet it's anything but.
Daily Mail
11-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Blue-haired Democrat snaps during showdown with Pete Hegseth... just days after her furious tirade at RFK Jr
In a dramatic moment on Capitol Hill Democratic congresswoman Rosa DeLauro abruptly cut off Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, raising her voice as he outlined his department's ambitious plans to ramp up submarine production. On Tuesday, Hegseth testified before the House Appropriations Committee in Washington DC, where lawmakers pressed him about the defense department's 2026 budget. The administration's $1 trillion plan includes major investments to boost Navy submarine construction in Connecticut. Among the committee members was blue-haired, Connecticut Rep Rosa DeLauro, who became visibly agitated as she demanded Hegseth clarify his plans. 'Well first of all I want to thank this committee for the flexibility alongside fiscal year 2025 and the continuing resolution,' Hegseth began, seconds before the hearing took a chaotic turn. Without letting him to finish his sentence DeLauro swiftly interrupted, snapping: 'Well I would hope that you would thank this committee for the funding that it had made'. 'We have made a serious investment, so your first statement is inaccurate,' she added. 'We have focused squarely on submarines and now we want to know where that is going and what your plan is for the continued investments to reach production levels and make sure that that is an area that is covered for our national security.' When DeLauro accused Hegseth of lacking details in his plan, he quickly fired back, acknowledging that the investment was indeed earmarked for shipbuilding and submarine production. When DeLauro accused Hegseth of lacking details in his plan he quickly fired back, acknowledging that the investment was indeed earmarked for shipbuilding The 45-year-old Defense Secretary claimed that former President Joe Biden had recklessly wasted much of the previous funding. At the mere mention of Biden, DeLauro cut in once again, snapping at Hegseth, 'Please - I want your plan!' 'I've had difficulty with the prior administration and I don't mind calling them out,' she shouted. 'What is your plan for the future?' 'Can we get that in writing and on paper so that we know where you're going? Because we don't have anything today! We have zip, nada, in knowing where you're going,' she continued, angrily raising her voice with each word. 'You can talk percentages. You can talk about whatever you want. But unless this committee sees dollars and cents and where you're going and what your plan is, then we can reconsider what you're planning to do to go forward. Give us the details!' Yet the irate congresswoman abruptly cut off the exchange, denying Hegseth any chance to respond. The fiery exchange unfolded just weeks after DeLauro found herself locked in another explosive match - this time with RFK Jr. Last month, the US Secretary of Health faced tough questions from both Republicans and Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee about his specific department's 2026 budget. During the hearing, DeLauro accused RFK Jr of breaking the law by cutting funding already approved by Congress - specifically targeting money allocated to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as reported by WSHU. When DeLauro pressed him on whether he would commit to spending the funds allocated in the 2024 budget, RFK Jr replied, 'As I said, Ranking Member, if you appropriate the money, I'm going to spend that money.' 'The money has been appropriated,' DeLauro snapped. 'If you're not willing to accept the funds that have been lawfully voted by members of the House and Senate, on the money for the National Institutes of Health.' 'Well, I'm going to hold you to your word that that funding is there; it should be transferred from 2024 to 2025,' she continued, speaking with her hands and aggressively pointing her finger in his direction. 'You've cut, already, $20 billion. Let's get that money back. You have an obligation to carry out the law and to implement what Congress has done.' Before moving on to the next topic of discussion, DeLauro angrily shuffled her papers around while repeating, 'Unbelievable. Unbelievable'. The discussion then moved to the department's plans to improve the healthiness of school lunches for children. Kennedy began calmly describing updated federal nutrition guidelines that will tell people to 'eat whole food', before getting visibly animated. 'I've been touring these Head Start facilities, and everything they eat is in a package. It's loaded with sugar and with chemicals,' he told Rep John Moolenaar of Michigan. 'We're poisoning this generation… the poorest kids in our country, and we're starting them out with this count against them.' Head Start, a federal early education program for low-income families with kids under 5, faces elimination under Trump's latest budget proposal, which would cut school funding for over 500,000 pregnant women, babies, and children. 'If anybody thinks that we did gold standard medicine in this country from these institutions, look at our children! They're the sickest children in the world,' Kennedy exclaimed. Kennedy then turned to DeLauro, who has authored legislation, written to Congress, worked with advocacy groups and pressured the industry to remove dyes and additives from food for decades. 'Congresswoman DeLauro, you say you've worked for 20 years on getting food dye out,' RFK said. 'Give me credit! I got it out in 100 days.' In April, RFK and fellow federal health officials announced they had come to 'an understanding' with food manufacturers on a proposal to phase out the use of Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2, and Green 3 by the end of 2026, and begin using natural alternatives. Foods still contain dyes and additives. 'Let's work together and do something that we all believe in, which is to have healthy kids in our country for God's sake,' RFK said.
Fox News
10-06-2025
- Business
- Fox News
Top House Democrat grills Hegseth on submarine spending plans: 'Give us the details'
Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., confronted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a heated House Appropriations Committee hearing Tuesday over years-long lags in the nation's shipbuilding capacity. The top Appropriations Democrat accused the Defense Department (DOD) of failing to present a clear, transparent plan to ramp up production at a time when China's shipbuilding capabilities are estimated to be 230 times greater than the U.S.'s. She said the Biden administration had been similarly opaque. DeLauro zeroed in on what she characterized as a troubling shortfall between the Navy's current production capacity and future strategic needs. "Do you know where our submarine production currently stands and whether current production is sufficient to bridge the gap between current fleet size and projected need?" she asked. "There is a gap," Hegseth admitted, "but we believe we are closing it." But DeLauro wasn't satisfied, demanding detailed data to back up that claim. "We do not have any information or data that can substantiate what you're saying," she shot back. "Give us the details." "We've had difficulty with the prior administration, and I don't mind calling them out. What is your plan for the future?" Asked what the status is of the department's investment in submarine programs, Hegseth boasted of a 14% increase in funding in the fiscal year 2026 budget request for the Columbia-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines and a "substantial increase" in the Virginia-class fast-attack submarines as well. But the congresswoman raised concerns about reports that the Pentagon plans to shift $3.1 billion in funding for the Columbia-class submarine program from FY2026 to FY2027 and FY2028. "This creates a serious problem for industry in the short term and hampers shipbuilders' ability to reach an adequate production rate," DeLauro warned. "Have you been in contact with Electric Boat or Huntington Ingalls about your plans?" Hegseth pushed back, saying top Pentagon officials were in regular communication with shipyards. "Almost every day," he said. "We're actively engaged… to make sure their needs are being met and their shortfalls are being addressed so we can close that gap in real time." DeLauro pointed to a missed deadline for placing key submarine contracts authorized under the December continuing resolution. Congress had approved $5.7 billion for two Block IV and one Block V Virginia-class submarines, with the understanding that contracts would be in place by February 2025. The Defense Department did not finalize the contracts until April 30. "We have made a serious investment," DeLauro said. "Now we want to know where that is going and what your plan is." When pressed for specifics, Hegseth thanked the committee for its flexibility and acknowledged prior mismanagement under previous administrations. But DeLauro cut him off. "I want your plan," she said. "Can we get that in writing and on paper? Because we don't have anything today. We have zip, nada." Hegseth promised to provide the committee with written details of the department's submarine production plan. "We have the details, and we will provide them," he said. DeLauro insisted she wanted the information before the committee's markup later the same day. The U.S. Navy's shipbuilding capacity has been on the decline since the Cold War. In the 1980s, the U.S. aimed for a 600-ship fleet; today, it struggles to maintain 300 operational vessels. The Navy currently operates under 50 attack submarines, well below the long-term requirement of 66 boats, as outlined by recent Navy force structure assessments. Shipyards like Electric Boat (General Dynamics) in Connecticut and Huntington Ingalls Industries in Virginia and Mississippi are the primary builders of nuclear submarines—but both are operating near maximum capacity and face major workforce and supply chain challenges. Shipbuilders report significant difficulties in hiring, training and retaining welders, pipefitters, engineers and designers. Shipbuilding's highly specialized supply chain was hit especially hard by the Covid-19 pandemic and has been slow to recover.
The Independent
06-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Trump looks to close 105-year-old department that supports women workers despite insinuating it would stay
The Department of Labor said it would 'eliminate' the Women 's Bureau, a century-old department that focuses on advocating for economic equality and safe working environments for women, despite the secretary insinuating it was here to stay. When pressed with questions about the Department of Government Efficiency cutting grants administered by the Women's Bureau at a House Appropriations Committee meeting on May 15, Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer responded by emphasizing its history. 'Statutorily, the Women's Bureau is in statute,' Chavez-DeRemer said in response to Representative Rosa DeLauro's concerns. While Chavez-DeRemer's comment stopped short of a promise, she did not elaborate on the future of Women's Bureau, but insinuated the 105-year-old department was here to stay. Yet the Department of Labor's 2026 fiscal year budget in brief anticipates eliminating the Women's Bureau, calling it a 'relic of the past' and 'an ineffective policy.' 'The Department will work with Congress to craft a repeal package of WB's organic statutes, including the Women in Apprenticeship in Non-Traditional Occupations grant authorization. Apprenticeship work will be handled by the Employment and Training Administration,' the Bureau of Labor wrote. The Independent has asked the Department of Labor and the White House for comment. The elimination of the bureau, by giving it no funding in 2026, is the latest move by the Trump administration to override Congress's authority and get rid of previously appropriated funds for what it believes is unnecessary or does not align with the president's policies. During his presidential campaign, Trump promised to be women's 'protector' and insisted they would be 'happy, healthy, confident and free' under his administration. However, the Trump administration believes the Women's Bureau 'has struggled to find a role' in advancing the interests of women in the workforce, according to the budget brief. 'The Bureau works on a wide range of issues and its work is not always closely coordinated with, or informed by, the agencies that actually have the resources to address the issues at hand,' the Department wrote in its FY 2026 budget in brief. Established by Congress in 1920, the Women's Bureau is the only federal agency mandated to represent the needs of wage-earning women. It conducts research and policy analysis to advocate for policies that improve working conditions and increase profitable opportunities for women in the workforce. That includes getting more women to high-paying jobs, expanding access to paid leave and affordable child care, eliminating pay inequality, as well as harassment in the workplace. Part of its role includes grant-making and managing the Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations grant program. The Women's Bureau also has the authority to investigate and report on matters about the welfare of women in industry to the Department of Labor. Nine current or former Department of Labor staffers told Mother Jones they believe shuttering the Women's Bureau aligns with the administration's desire to have women stop working and stay home to raise children. 'It really feels like a specific [effort] to get women out of the workplace,' Gayle Goldin, the former deputy director of the Women's Bureau under the Biden administration, told Mother Jones. 'We really still need the Women's Bureau, because we need to be able to identify what the problems are, see where the barriers are for women in the workplace, and ensure that women have full capacity to enter the workplace in whatever job they want.'
E&E News
05-06-2025
- Business
- E&E News
House panel approves deep USDA spending cuts
A House Appropriations panel approved a $25.5 billion spending plan for agriculture Thursday that would slash climate-related programs while boosting efforts against animal and plant diseases. 'Times have changed at the Department of Agriculture,' said Agriculture Subcommittee Chair Andy Harris (R-Md.) as the panel took up the bill for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1. The vote was 9 to 7, along partisan lines, with the full Appropriations Committee ranking Democrat, Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, participating and voting 'no.' Advertisement The measure, which next moves to the full Appropriations Committee, represents an overall 4.2 percent reduction from this year's discretionary spending level for the Department of Agriculture and related agencies, the Republican majority said.
