mr. speaker , i rise today to express my strong opposition to the ill-conceived conference report for h.r. 3010 , the labor-hhs-education appropriations bill for fiscal year 2006 .  this bill is flawed in so many ways and is a disservice to the american people .  it is the latest move in the steady drumbeat of a republican legislative agenda that makes working and middle class americans pay for the tax cuts that benefit the ultra-wealthiest americans .  and it comes at a time when we are confronting the aftermath of hurricane katrina and the huge costs of waging the ongoing war in iraq .  overall , this conference report cuts education , health care , and human services by $ 1.5 billion below what was spent on these efforts last year .  meanwhile , republicans plan to spend $ 11 billion this week on a capital gains and dividend income tax cut that will provide 53 percent of its benefit to people making more than $ 1 million .  overall , republicans will spend more on tax cuts this week alone , $ 70 billion , than on both the department of education and the department of labor , $ 68 billion , for an entire year .  these are just a few victims of the republican bill .  no child left behind funding is cut by $ 784 million , the first time nclb will have been cut since the law was enacted .  title i , which is the core of nclb 's efforts to improve reading and math skills , receives the smallest increase in 8 years -- only $ 100 million -- which means 3.1 million low-income children will be left behind .  the maximum pell grant is frozen for the fourth straight year , and no new funding is provided for all other student financial aid and support programs , even though college costs have increased by $ 3 , 095 , 34 percent , since 2001 .  consumers are expected to pay 46 percent more for natural gas and 28 percent more for home heating oil this winter , yet republicans refused to increase funding for liheap home heating assistance , which helps keep the heat on for low-income seniors and children .  nearly 46 million americans are without health insurance yet republicans provide virtually no funding for new community health centers beyond those approved last year .  republicans also eliminate the healthy communities access program , $ 83 million , and state planning grants to improve health care coverage , $ 11 million .  the conference agreement does not include the $ 8.1 billion in emergency funding provided in the senate bill for pandemic flu preparedness , or any part of the $ 7.1 billion requested by the administration for that purpose .  the conference agreement freezes or cuts most programs below their fy 2005 levels , including the following : international assistance grants to eradicate child labor and protect worker rights through the bureau of international labor affairs are cut by 21.4 percent .  community college training grants are cut by 50 percent in each of fy 2005 and fy 2006 .  unemployment insurance and employment service offices to help the unemployed are cut by 6.7 percent .  health professions training grants are cut by 69 percent .  the healthy communities access program is eliminated .  the centers for disease control is cut by 3.9 percent .  comprehensive school reform state grants are eliminated .  even start family literacy services are cut by 55.6 percent .  education technology grants are cut by 44.6 percent .  the education block grant for local initiatives is cut by 49.6 percent .  safe and drug free schools grants are cut by 20 percent .  under the conference agreement , only a few programs receive modest increases over fy 2005 and -- in most cases -- even these increases are below the amounts sought by the administration .  while the conference agreement restores many of the 50 programs proposed for termination in the house bill , these restorations were made at the expense of funding for priority programs , such as community health services , title 1 grants for low-income children , and special education grants , and pell grants .  nih receives a mere 0.7 percent increase -- this does not even keep pace with inflation and does not meet our health research needs .  title 1 grants for low-income children receive a 0.8 percent increase -- the smallest increase in 8 years .  special education grants receive a 0.9 percent increase -- the smallest increase in a decade .  the maximum pell grant is frozen at $ 4 , 050 for the fourth consecutive year compared to the $ 4 , 100 provided in the house bill .  mr. speaker , the simple truth is that the bill cuts essential health and education programs to pay for ill-conceived tax cuts .  i do not believe this bill reflects the priorities and values of the american people .  i urge my colleagues to vote against it .  