Huffman Votes to Pass Funding Bill

Community Projects, Aid to Ukraine, Climate Action, Special Education Funding All Included in Comprehensive Omnibus

March 09, 2022

Washington, D.C. – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2471, the omnibus appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2022. In addition to the 12 fiscal year 2022 appropriations bills, the funding legislation contains a supplemental funding bill to provide $13.6 billion to support Ukraine.

“The yearly funding bill is Congress’ opportunity to show America and the world where our priorities lie. And with this historic, bipartisan omnibus, we are tackling head-on the many challenges facing our nation – from lowering costs for hardworking people and investing in local communities to defending democracy worldwide and taking bold climate action. And a key element for each of these goals is divesting from fossil fuels and transitioning to a cleaner, sustainable energy future, which is reflected in and out of this bill,” said Rep. Huffman.

“There is also unprecedented funding for projects right at home in our district. Over the past year, I have worked side-by-side with folks in our community to identify projects that address some of the most pressing needs of our region. Thanks to that partnership, we have secured funding for nine initiatives that will support our district and improve the lives of folks up and down the North Coast. Finally, I’m once again proud to see increased funding for IDEA, which I have pushed for in every funding bill since I was first elected to Congress,” he said. 

As part of the package, Rep. Huffman secured more than $11.5 million in Community Project Funding for northwest California:

  • $400,000 for Anderson Valley Affordable Housing Initiative
  • $1,000,000 for Burre Dental Center, Arcata, CA for facilities and equipment
  • $100,000 for Disaster Preparedness for Medically Tailored Meals
  • $700,000 for E. Sir Francis Drake Blvd Gap Closure
  • $500,000 for Emergency Marine Mammal Field Response, Research, and Rehabilitation
  • $2,000,000 for Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Kelp Recovery
  • $5,000,000 for Hammond Trail Bridge Replacement
  • $218,000 for Humboldt County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
  • $1,600,000 for Petaluma Health Center, Petaluma, CA for facilities and equipment

More information on the Community Project Funding requests can be found here.

Rep. Huffman also successfully advocated to include multiple funding and policy priorities for northwest California in the final package:

  • Increases special education funding for children with disabilities by providing $13.3 billion for IDEA Part B Grants to States, an increase of $406 million (or 3%) above the FY2021 enacted level.
  • Reauthorizes the Shasta-Trinity marina fee retention authority, following legislation Rep. Huffman introduced in June of 2021. This critical request supports the outdoor recreation economy in Trinity County. Rep. Huffman has also secured this provision in prior appropriations bills.
  • Funds the San Francisco Bay estuary program at $24 million to ensure habitat restoration, endangered species recovery, and adaptation to climate change.
  • Includes report language directing the Department of Energy to provide $5 million for a competitive solicitation for a study of the development of a direct air capture facility co-located with a geothermal energy resource.
  • Includes $5.48 billion for wildfire management and suppression activities conducted by the Interior Department and Forest Service, which is an increase of $211 million.
  • Addresses worsening droughts with $1.92 billion for the Department of the Interior to fund water resources projects, in line with the goals of Rep. Huffman’s FUTURE Western Water Infrastructure and Drought Resiliency Act.
  • Provides over $72 million for State and Tribal Wildlife Grants, a program that is used by states, territories, and federally recognized tribes to monitor and conserve the over 12,000 species in greatest conservation need.

 

Other provisions secured in the legislation include:

  • Aid to Ukraine
    • The Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act provides $13.6 billion in emergency funding to support the Ukrainian people after Russia’s unprovoked attack.
    • This includes $3 billion in security and defense assistance, $2.8 billion in disaster assistance to Ukrainians, and $1.4 billion for humanitarian aid for refugees.
  • Labor, HHS, Education and Related Agencies
    • New funding for safe motherhood and infant health, ending HIV, opioid prevention and surveillance, antibiotic resistance, and global health.
    • The bill provides $24.6 billion for Federal student aid programs, an increase of $35 million above the FY 2021 enacted level. Within this amount, the bill provides: $6,895 for the maximum Pell Grant, an increase of $400 above the FY 2021 enacted level. This is the largest increase in the maximum award in more than a decade.
  • Interior and Environment
    •  The bill provides $38 billion in regular appropriations for critical environmental agencies, an increase of $1.893 billion over the FY 2021 level. There is also an additional $2.45 billion provided under the fire suppression cap adjustment.
    • Follows the science and develops common-sense standards to curb pollution with $9.56 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency.
    • Creates good-paying American jobs through investments in renewable energy development, including offshore wind with $37 million for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s Renewable Energy Program.
    • Cleans up pollution while rebuilding our nation’s crumbling infrastructure with $3 billion for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure through the Environmental Protection Agency grants programs.
    • Provides $100 million to advance Environmental Justice, an $83 million increase above the FY 2021 level, to dramatically expand efforts to address unacceptable pollution in communities of color.
    • Supports Indian Country health care programs, providing $6.6 billion for the Indian Health Service, which includes $4.7 billion for health services and $940 million for health facilities.
    • Funds the National Park Service at $3.26 billion, $142 million above the FY 2021 enacted level.
  • Energy and Water Development
    • The bill provides $54.97 billion, an increase of $3.2 billion above the FY 2021 level, for agencies such as the Army Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the Department of Energy.
    • Provides more than $14 billion of transformative investments in clean energy and science to develop and deploy clean, affordable, and secure American energy and create good-paying American jobs.
    • Provides $463 million for electric grid security and resilience programs to advance technologies that increase our ability to incorporate growing amounts of clean energy technologies and secure the nation’s energy infrastructure against all hazards.
    • Revives our water infrastructure and protects communities from more frequent and severe storms with $8.3 billion for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to support project construction, operation, and maintenance.
    • Provides $450 million, an increase of $23 million above the FY 2021 level, to support research of rapidly developing energy technologies that are capable of significantly changing the energy sector to address the nation’s critical economic, environmental, and energy security challenges.
  • Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration
    • Invests $900 million in Rural Broadband expansion; this is in addition to the $2 billion provided in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
    • Over $1.45 billion in loans to help rural areas access utilities like water and waste management. 
    • Increases funding for child nutrition programs, including $45 million for the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer Program which helps students who receive free and reduced lunch afford food during summer break, and $6 million for school breakfast expansion grants.
    • Provides $1 billion to help farmers, ranchers, and other private landowners conserve and protect their land.
    • Includes $101 million for infrastructure for watershed and flood prevention and watershed rehabilitation projects, $8.5 million for the Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Program, and $7 million for the Healthy Forests Reserve Program.
    • Provides $1.6 billion for the Agricultural Research Service, including increasing funding for alternative protein research and research for agricultural crops tainted by wildfire smoke.
  • Commerce, Justice, Science
    • Provides $75.8 billion for commerce, justice, and science related agencies, a crucial investment for understanding and combatting the climate crisis and community safety.
    • $5.88 billion for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an increase of $447 million over FY2021. This includes funding for climate research and adaptation, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and National Weather Service.
    • Invests $201 million to address sexual assault kit and other DNA evidence backlogs; and $575 million for Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) prevention and prosecution programs.
    • Includes $95 million for grants to improve the NICS firearms background check system.
    • Provides $350 million for community violence prevention initiatives and improving public safety in communities across the country.
  • Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development
    • Provides a total of $157 billion for Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development – an increase of $20.3 above fiscal year 2021.
    • Includes $8.45 billion for public housing improvement. Includes up to 25,000 new housing choice vouchers for low-income families at risk of homelessness and $27.4 billion for tenant-based rental assistance which serves the lowest income households in the nation.
    • Includes $352 million for Housing for Persons with Disabilities to construct approximately 1,800 new affordable housing units for persons with disabilities.
    • Includes $580 million for Transit Infrastructure Grants to purchase more than 300 zero emission buses, 400 diesel buses, and to support the transformative research for transit systems. 
  • Defense
    • Provides $1.5 billion for environmental restoration activities, including $210 million to clean up toxic polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), known as “forever chemicals.” It also includes $15 million to assess the health impact of PFAS contamination in drinking water.
    • Provides an additional $120 million for climate infrastructure programs.
  • Homeland Security
    • Provides $23.9 billion for FEMA, an increase of $2.19 billion above the FY2021 enacted level.
    • Includes $18.8 billion for disaster response and recovery efforts and $720 million for firefighter grant programs. It also includes $40 million for the Next Generation Warning System, a critical early-warning service in public emergencies and natural disasters.
  • Financial Services and General Government
    • Provides a total of $1 billion for the Small Business Administration, an increase of $109 million above the FY 2021 enacted level.
    • Includes $290 million for Entrepreneurial Development Programs, to help underserved entrepreneurs access capital and contracting opportunities.
  • Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
    • Provides a total of $112.2 billion in funding for Veterans Affairs, an increase of $7.8 billion above the 2021 enacted level. This includes $97.5 billion for veterans’ medical care, with critical expansions in mental health care, homeless assistance programs, and rural health services.
    • Helps military installations adapt to sea level rise and worsening natural disasters, with $120 million for climate change and resiliency investments.
  • State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
    • Provides $56.1 billion for State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, which is $595 million above 2021.
    • In addition, the legislation includes $6.8 billion in humanitarian, economic, and security assistance for Ukraine, the countries affected by the situation in Ukraine, and other assistance to vulnerable populations and communities.
    • Recommends over $1.5 billion to address the Climate Crisis and other environmental issues, including critical increases in funding for biodiversity conservation, combatting wildlife trafficking, and international clean energy investments.

The text of the spending package, H.R. 2471, is available here. Explanatory statements are available here. A full summary of the 12 regular appropriations bills is here. A summary of the Ukraine supplemental is here and a one-page fact sheet is here.