Rep. Huffman Secures Investments for Americans in Vote for 2020 Spending Bill

Opposes Second Bill That Enables Trump’s Racist Policies

December 17, 2019

Washington, D.C. – Today, the House voted on two legislative packages that together comprise all twelve fiscal year 2020 funding bills. Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) voted to support H.R. 1865, which funds domestic priorities and international assistance and includes a funding increase for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), marina fee retention for the Shasta Trinity National Recreation Area in Trinity county, and debt relief for the Pacific Coast Groundfish fleet. He voted against H.R. 1158, which includes funding for the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, as well as clearing the way for continued border wall construction.

“Although it is not a perfect bill, I voted “yes” for the domestic priorities appropriations package. The provisions we negotiated will have far-reaching benefits, both for my constituents along the North Coast and for communities across the nation,” said Rep. Huffman. “However,  I could not in good conscience support funding for Donald Trump to continue bloated military spending, maintain his anti-immigrant policies, and disregard Congress’s authority. We should be doing far more to rein in the administration’s wasted spending on harmful policies. Congress needs to send a clear message to Trump that he is not above the law – and that includes reining in his reckless spending at the border.”

 

The domestic priorities and international assistance appropriations “minibus,” H.R. 1865, reflects House-Senate conference agreements for eight appropriations bills: Labor-Health and Human Services-Education, Agriculture, Energy and Water Development, Interior-Environment, Legislative Branch, Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, State-Foreign Operations, and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development.

This bill passed 297-120. Huffman voted in favor of the legislation.

Huffman championed a number of provisions that were included in the final bill, including:

  • A funding increase for IDEA: This bill includes $12.8 billion for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, an increase of $400 million above the 2019 enacted level and the President's budget request;
  • Shasta-Trinity marina fee retention reauthorization: This bill authorizes the Shasta Trinity National Forest to retain marina fees, an authority that expired in September 2019. Fees are invested in recreation enhancement projects in the Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area;
  • Debt relief for Pacific Coast Groundfish fleet: This bill forgives interest accrued on a fishery buyback loan for the Pacific Coast Groundfish fleet that accrued while the Secretary of Commerce was determining how to process payments. Rep. Huffman has fiercely advocated for this relief since he was elected to Congress in 2013.

The text of the domestic priorities and international assistance appropriations minibus is available here.

The national security appropriations minibus, H.R. 1158, reflects conference agreements for four appropriations bills: Defense, Commerce-Justice-Science, Financial Services and General Government, and Homeland Security.

 

This bill passed 280-138. Huffman voted against the bill.

The minibus includes several harmful provisions opposed by Rep Huffman that:

  • Waste $1.375 billion on Trump’s border wall;
  • Clear the way for the Trump Administration to misuse federal funds to advance a mass detention and deportation agenda;
  • Maintains high numbers of ICE detention beds;
  • Provide upwards of $700 billion in Pentagon spending.

 

The text of the national security minibus is available here.

 

Representative Huffman also applauded the many Democratic victories that will have far reaching impacts for families and communities across the country. Those provisions:

  • Strengthen America’s infrastructure by providing more than $61 billion for infrastructure investments through dedicated trust funds, which will create jobs and improve safety.
  • Protect our environment by including $9 billion, a $208 million increase, for the Environmental Protection Agency to ensure clean air and water and to hold polluters accountable.
  • Expand access for rural communities, with more than $640 million to strengthen rural broadband.
  • Provide pathways for affordable health care, better schools, and good-paying jobs, with $185 billion for these priorities and record base funding for Title I schools, Head Start, and the Child Care and Development Block Grant.
  • Invest in strengthening public health, expanding access to health care, and carrying out lifesaving research, with $95 billion in funding.
  • Honor our responsibilities to veterans, providing $80 billion for VA medical care, including funding to provide homelessness assistance, suicide prevention and outreach, and gender-specific care.

 

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