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Chair McCollum Statement on House Passage of FY 2022 Omnibus

March 9, 2022

House Passes $1.5 Trillion Bill to Fund the Priorities of the American People

Congresswoman Betty McCollum (MN-04), Chair of the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, commends the House passage of the FY 2022 federal legislation to fund the economic, educational, health care, and environmental priorities of the American people, including our urgent national security needs amid Russia's war in Ukraine. The bill now goes to the Senate for passage before heading to the President's desk to be signed into law.

H.R. 2471 provides $1.5 trillion in discretionary resources across the 12 fiscal year 2022 appropriations bills, as well as a $13.6 billion supplemental funding bill to provide military, economic, and humanitarian assistance to support Ukrainians in their fight for freedom.

Congresswoman McCollum released the following statement:

"Through the U.S. Constitution, the House of Representatives is charged with the responsibility of funding the federal government – and as a member of the Appropriations Committee, I'm proud that with today's vote, we are making major investments to keep America strong, healthy, and successful," McCollum said. "This funding package includes transformational investments in education, job training, child care, and worker protections. It honors our trust and treaty responsibilities for Native American communities through increased funding for education and health care programs. It addresses health challenges with increased funding for mental health, maternal health, cancer research, and ending racial health disparities. I'm proud of the historic investments we make in protecting our environment so our communities have clean water to drink and clean air to breathe.

"As Chair of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, I'm responsible for 48 percent of the funding in this omnibus agreement. While the Defense bill included in this agreement does not reflect the topline from the House bill, I fought to ensure that the final agreement includes substantial investments in our most important national security asset: our people – our military service members, their families, and their quality of life. The funding package provides our service members with the tools they need to complete their missions, defend our country, and return home safely. As climate change rapidly becomes a national security issue, we are increasing funding to confront the climate crisis as well as making the largest investment ever in environmental remediation and PFAS/PFOA cleanup at military facilities. This package provides funding to implement the recommendations of the Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military, such as establishing Offices of Special Victims Prosecutors and allowing survivors flexibility to take time off for recovery or to seek services. It supports the well-being of our service members and military families with a much-needed pay raise and increased funding for military health care.

"As we all have watched Russia's unprovoked, unjustified war on Ukraine, we are providing supplemental aid to support Ukraine and our allies in the region and work with democracies around the world to provide humanitarian assistance for the more than two million refugees fleeing the war. This bill also authorizes many projects within the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to begin making improvements to America's roads and bridges, transportation systems, and drinking water infrastructure. Whether it is protecting the environment, creating good-paying jobs and expanding economic opportunities, or providing a lifeline for working families, the passage of this funding agreement reflects the priorities of the American people."

The conference agreement includes all 10 of McCollum's Community Project Funding (CPF) requests. More information and reactions from community partners is forthcoming.

Across H.R. 2471, Congresswoman McCollum was successful in securing funding for priority issues impacting Minnesotans:

Interior & Environment Appropriations:
As the Vice Chair of the Subcommittee, Congresswoman McCollum succeeding in including the following provisions in the $38 billion bill, which is an increase of $1.893 billion over the 2021 enacted level:

  • $10.3 billion for health, education, public safety, and other trust and treaty responsibilities throughout Indian Country, including a $395 million increase to the 2021 enacted level for the Indian Health Service, and a $150 million increase for Indian Affairs
  • $73 million for the Urban Indian Health Program, an increase of $10 million above the 2021 enacted levels, to support our trust and treaty obligations to provide accessible, culturally competent care to Native Americans in urban centers, including the Twin Cities
  • $52 million ($10 million above 2021 enacted levels) for Climate Adaptation Science Centers, including the newly established Midwest CASC hosted by the University of Minnesota
  • $36 million for Urban and Community Forestry, an increase of $4.1 million above the 2021 enacted levels, including $4 million for reforestation in areas hard hit by the Emerald Ash Borer
  • A directive to the National Forest Service to develop a strategy to expand the successful Urban Connections program nationwide, opening up more opportunities for diverse youth and urban leaders to get involved in outdoor recreation and learn about the natural resources in their backyard
  • A Mississippi River Science Forum, to be hosted by the U.S. Geological Survey, to bring together federal, state, tribal, local, and private partners to share current science and identify next steps to support the restoration and resilience of the Mississippi River
  • $348 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, $18 million above the 2021 enacted level
  • $180 million each for the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, an increase of $12.5 million above the 2021 enacted levels
Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies:
For 2022, the LHHS bill provides $213.6 billion, an increase of $15.3 billion – 7.7 percent – above 2021.
With this historic increase, the legislation:
  • Creates and sustains good-paying American jobs through investments in job training, apprenticeship programs, and worker protection
    • Includes McCollum language encouraging the coordination of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) and career and technical education (CTE) efforts at the federal, state, tribal and local level to prepare our national workforce for high-demand careers in manufacturing, engineering, and information technology
  • Grows opportunity with transformative investments in education, including record funding for high-poverty schools and students with disabilities, and strong increases for programs that expand access to post-secondary education
    • Includes McCollum language to provide assistance to states and higher education institutions in providing mental health and academic support services to at-risk students due to the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Supports middle class and working families with increased funding for child care and development programs, Head Start, and preschool development grants
  • Strengthens lifesaving biomedical research with increased funding for the National Institutes of Health, including funding to establish the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health
  • Bolsters our public health infrastructure with more resources for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and for states and local governments to strengthen infrastructure and capacity
  • Addresses our nation's most urgent health crises, including maternal health, mental health, gun violence, and opioid abuse, while making strides to reduce persistent and unacceptable health disparities
    • Includes McCollum language supporting prevention efforts to address the increased rates of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and expanding access to essential services
  • Advances equal treatment for women by increasing funding for the range of health services, including family planning, covered by Title X
  • Invests in our federal trust and treaty responsibilities to provide for the health and education of Native Americans
    • Includes increases requested by McCollum for K-12 Indian Education, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Native language preservation, and the Good Health and Wellness in Indian Country
  • Includes a $10 million increase, for a total of $755 million, for the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) to help fund the more than 1,100 Community Action Agencies nationwide helping American families struggling with poverty
Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies:
For fiscal year 2022, the bill provides discretionary funding of $25.125 billion – a critical increase of $1.426 billion, 6 percent – above 2021. In total, the bill includes $234.2 billion for both discretionary programs funded on an annual basis and mandatory programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
As a member of the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, Rep. McCollum is proud that the bill:
  • Tackles hunger and nutrition insecurity by expanding access to fruits and vegetables to 6.2 million people through WIC and ensuring 42 million people in SNAP-eligible families get the benefits they need. The bill also invests in the health of America's kids through Child Nutrition programs, like school meals -- which are now the healthiest source of food consumed in the United States
  • Grows opportunity and lifts up rural communities by increasing funding for rural broadband, connecting more communities to the internet through a program that last year got more than 100,000 people connected to the 21st century economy
  • Rebuilds our public health and consumer safety infrastructure with increased funding to address maternal and infant nutrition, including resources for the ‘Closer to Zero' initiative to reduce exposure to toxic elements in babies' and young children's food, emerging food-related chemical and toxicological issues, drug safety oversight, as well as providing additional resources for in-person inspections in large foreign drug manufacturing countries, and drug and device supply chain monitoring and surveillance. The bill also invests in our public health infrastructure by modernizing FDA's data infrastructure to better ensure the safety and security of the food and medical supply chain
    • Includes McCollum language directing funding to continue educating the public on the dangers of harmful skin-lightening products, which disproportionately impact women of color
  • Confronts the climate crisis with $78.3 million across USDA to address the impacts of climate change. These investments are aimed to tackle the climate crisis in farming and rural communities and include research to monitor, measure, and mitigate climate change, accelerate climate smart agriculture practices, reduce greenhouse gases, and advance clean energy technologies
  • Provides important investments to ensure equitable participation in USDA programs. In total, the bill provides more funding than the request to advance racial justice, including increases for extension, research, and capacity grants at our 1890 land grants, 1994 land grants, and Hispanic serving institutions to help strengthen the pipeline for the future of agriculture. It also provides funding to improve outreach and program access to historically underserved communities and provides a healthy increase for USDA's Office of Civil Rights above the request
  • Includes McCollum language directing USDA to continue working with EPA on development of the Mississippi River Restoration and Resiliency Initiative (MRRRI). Also includes language directing the department to engage with the U.S. Geological Survey as they host the Mississippi River Science Forum and to contribute to the proceedings as a federal agency with relevant scientific expertise
  • Includes McCollum language expressing concern that 71% of Americans between the age of 17 and 24 years of age are ineligible for military service due to obesity, mental and other physical health issues, or substance abuse. The report encourages the Secretary to work with the Secretaries of Defense and HHS to help assist in communicating nutritional standards to state, local, and tribal governments for children attending early childhood programs and K–12 schools
Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies:
For 2022, the bill provides $54.97 billion, an increase of $3.2 billion above 2021.
The legislation:
  • Creates tens of thousands of good-paying jobs with a focus on deploying clean energy technologies and the green jobs of tomorrow in communities across the country
  • Confronts the climate crisis with more than $14 billion of transformative investments in clean energy and science, which will help develop clean, affordable, and secure American energy
  • Rebuilds our nation's water infrastructure, critical to protecting communities from more frequent and severe storms and addressing the worsening drought
    • Includes McCollum language reminding the Army Corps of Engineers that the Upper St. Anthony Falls is a federal project that requires routine maintenance and is eligible to compete for additional funding
  • Includes McCollum language directing the Army Corps of Engineers to continue working with EPA on development of the Mississippi River Restoration and Resiliency Initiative (MRRRI). Also includes language directing the department to engage with the U.S. Geological Survey as they host the Mississippi River Science Forum and to contribute to the proceedings as a federal agency with relevant scientific expertise
  • Includes McCollum language insupport of improving the coordination of federal efforts involved in growing and sustaining a robust national security workforce
Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies:
For 2022, the bill provides funding of $81 billion, an increase of $6.4 billion – more than 8 percent – above 2021. This includes an increase of $4 billion for the Department of Housing and Urban Development and $1.6 billion for the Department of Transportation. In total, the bill provides $157 billion in budgetary resources, an increase of $20.3 billion above 2021.
The legislation:
  • Creates tens of thousands of good-paying American jobs by rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure with significant investments in airports, highways, transit, passenger rail, and port systems
  • Grows opportunity through homeownership and rental assistance, including more than 25,000 new housing vouchers targeted to individuals and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness and over 4,000 new units for seniors and persons with disabilities
  • Includes $10 billion for Community Planning and Development, including $3.3 billion for CDBG grants, and $1.5 billion for the HOME Investment Partnerships Program
  • Includes language securing $27.4 billion for Tenant-basedRental Assistance to continue to serve more than 2.3 million very low- and extremely low-income households nationwide. This level of funding also includes $200 million to expand housing assistance to more than 125,000 low-income families, including individuals and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness, and survivors of domestic violence and veterans
  • Supports the vulnerable with public housing safety, maintenance, and improvement investments, such as the remediation of lead paint and radon and installation of energy and water efficient systems
  • Promotes safe transportation and housing with a skilled and growing workforce to conduct inspections, mitigate hazards, and study emerging threats and innovative solutions
  • Reduces emissions, increases resiliency, and addresses historical inequities in transportation and housing programs through targeted grants and investments
    • Includes regarding addressing historical inequities in our nation's interstate highway system: "The construction of our nation's interstate highway system was shaped by systemic racism. There are countless examples of interstate highways that were directly and purposefully routed through established minority communities, causing community upheaval, loss of homes and businesses, and deep psychological pain. The Committee encourages the Department of Transportation to address the systemic destruction of communities like these by prioritizing projects which reconnect neighborhoods cut off by historic investments in the interstate highway system and ensuring new projects increase opportunity, advance racial equity and environmental justice, and promote affordable access."
Financial Services and General Government:
For fiscal year 2022, the draft bill includes $25.5 billion in discretionary funding, an increase of $1.1 billion over 2021.
The legislation:
  • Assists small businesses and entrepreneurs through increased funding for the Small Business Administration and Community Development Financial Institutions
  • Protects our democracy with Election Security Grants to ensure the integrity and safety of our elections
  • Rebuilds the Internal Revenue Service to finally crack down on big corporations and the wealthy who aren't paying their fair share and to provide better customer service to working families navigating the tax system, all while addressing the agency's aging IT infrastructure
  • Supports working and middle-class families by increasing funding for consumer protection activities at the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Federal Trade Commission
  • Includes McCollum-supported language supporting updated guidance on federal agencies' consideration of potential employees' marijuana use
Legislative Branch:
The 2022 Legislative Branch funding bill appropriates a total of $5.925 billion, an increase of $625 million or 11.8 percent over 2021.
The legislation:
  • Strengthens Legislative Branch capacity by increasing funding for Congressional offices by 21 percent so they can recruit and retain a talented and diverse workforce
  • Protects our democracy with funding, building on the emergency supplemental passed in July, to secure the United States Capitol
  • Improves training and bolsters wellness support for the Capitol Police, who were attacked on January 6
  • Grows opportunity by increasing funding for internships to support more interns from working and middle-class families
Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies:
For 2022, the CJS bill provides $75.8 billion, an increase of $4.7 billion above 2021.
The legislation:
  • Creates good-paying American jobs by:
    • Providing $9.9 billion for the Department of Commerce, an increase of $989 million, with investments in economic development in distressed communities and support for small businesses, including small- and medium- sized American manufacturers
    • Providing $55 million for the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) which helps business growth opportunities among minority-owned U.S. companies
  • Helps make our communities safer by:
    • Providing resources for local law enforcement with $674.5 million for Byrne Justice Assistance grants and $512 million for COPS program grants
    • Addressing the gun violence epidemic with $95 million to strengthen the National Instant Criminal Background Check system and $50 million for community-based violence intervention initiatives
    • Including McCollum request for a tribal set-aside within the DOJ's Crime Victims Fund (CVF) to better improve consultation with tribal partners to protect victims of violence in tribal communities
  • Addresses gender-based violence by:
    • Providing $575 million for Violence Against Women Act prevention and prosecution programs
    • Including $201 million to reduce the backlog of unprocessed rape kits and other DNA evidence
  • Confronts the climate crisis by:
    • Providing $24 billion, an increase of $770 million, for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) with strong funding within this total for efforts to gain scientific knowledge about the Earth's changing climate
      • Includes McCollum request to provide $60 million for the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program to support local grants to invest in STEM needs
    • Including $5.88 billion for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for climate research and mitigation efforts, improvements in weather forecasting, understanding sea level rise, supporting offshore wind energy, fisheries management, and STEM education
      • Includes McCollum report language for NOAA to work more closely with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop a long-term strategy for the Mississippi River Restoration and Resiliency Initiative (MRRRI)
State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs:
The 2022 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations bill provides $56.1 billion, 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, and $5 billion to enhance the global COVID response.
The legislation:
  • Supports the world's most vulnerable with foreign assistance to meet the urgent humanitarian needs, many of which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and rebuilds the global public health infrastructure with a dramatic increase in funding for global health security to confront the current COVID-19 pandemic and prevent future pandemics:
    • Includes McCollum language securing $1,010,600,000 to help raise millions out of poverty by funding the Global Food Security Act, supporting Feed the Future's comprehensive approach to improve nutrition outcomes
    • Includes McCollum language ensuring 10% of funding for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is spent on supporting orphans and vulnerable children and reporting back on how that target is being met
    • Includes no less than $219 million in aid for the West Bank and Gaza for community-based programs that provide for basic human needs, such as food, water, health, shelter, protection, education, and livelihoods, and that promote peace and development
    • Includes McCollum language to strengthen global health systems
  • Advances women's rights by increasing funding for family planning, increasing United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) funding, and repealing restrictions on safe and legal abortion
  • Increases funding for USAID's Ocean Freight Reimbursement Program, which provides competitive grants to organizations like Books for Africa to ship goods overseas, and includes McCollum language with a particular focus on educational materials
  • Confronts climate change with $1.5 billion in funding to address the climate crisis and other environmental issues, and includes significant increases for two critical partners in the global response to climate change – the Montreal Protocol Multilateral Fund and the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change/UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
    • Includes McCollum language to help mitigate the impacts of climate change that are impacting global stability and U.S. national security, include reforestation and grasslands restoration in the design and planning of environmental and food security activities, and support natural climate solutions and restoration for landscape regeneration
  • Promotes democracy with funding to support allies and partners of the United States, particularly to counter growing Chinese influence
  • Directs the Department of State to ensure the safety of Afghans and their families who have provided valuable service to the U.S. and streamlining the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) process
Homeland Security:
For 2022, the DHS bill provides $57.8 billion, an increase of $5.6 billion, above 2021.
The legislation:
  • Secures our infrastructure and communities by:
    • Increasing funding for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) by $568.7 million for a total of $2.6 billion to prevent cyberattacks, root out cyber intrusions, and protect critical infrastructure and communications systems
    • Protecting organizations at-risk of attack with $740 million for the Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI), including $125 million for the UASI Nonprofit Security Grant Program, and $645 million for the State Homeland Security Grant Program (SHSGP), including $125 million for the SHSGP Nonprofit Security Grants Program
  • Respects the rights and dignity of immigrants by:
    • Providing $409.5 million for Citizenship and Immigration Services to reduce immigration, refugee, and asylum application backlogs, including through $275 million for application processing and $20 million for the Citizenship and Integration Grant program
      • Includes McCollum language to expand resources for trauma and resilience training and support for Refugee, Asylum, & International Operations (RAIO) Directorate staff
    • Providing $30 million for new body worn cameras and video recording equipment for Border Patrol personnel
  • Supports disaster relief and response by:
    • Providing $18.8 billion for FEMA to prepare for disaster response and recovery efforts
      • Includes McCollum request for FEMA to work with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Geological Service on Mississippi River Restoration and Resiliency Initiative (MRRRI)
    • Providing $275.5 million for Flood Mapping to help communities mitigate the impact of future disasters
Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies:
The 2022 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill provides $284.6 billion, an increase of $32.7 billion – more than 13 percent – above 2021. Of this amount, discretionary funding for programs such as veterans' health care and Military Construction totals $127.6 billion, an increase of $14.4 billion above 2021.
The legislation:
  • Supports our veterans with investments in health care, including targeted investments that advance women's health, mental health, and homelessness assistance
  • Rebuilds our infrastructure with strong investments to construct critical facilities on military installations including family housing and child development centers, and build, repair, and retrofit Veterans Affairs facilities
  • Protects our national security with investments to respond to the challenges posed by Russian and Chinese aggression
  • Confronts the climate crisis with increased climate change and resiliency funding to help military installations adapt to rising sea levels and worsening natural disasters
  • Addresses PFOA/PFOS contamination with $150 million inenvironmental remediation funds efforts across current and previous DoD installations
  • Includes McCollum language on toxic exposures to reinforce our commitment to our veterans who have been exposed to burn pitsand other airborne hazards while deployed
Defense:
For 2022, the bill provides $728.5 billion in discretionary spending, an increase of $32.5 billion above 2021.
The legislation:
  • Confronts the climate crisis with historic investments for clean energy and climate adaptation to protect facilities, readiness, and global security
  • Increases the Environmental Restoration activities by $486.5 million over the President's request
    • This includes $210 million for costs associated with PFOS/PFOA cleanup – a historic funding amount;
    • Directs $686 million in funding for DoD and the Services to respond to the Red Hill fuel spill in Hawaii
  • Protects our national security, preserves our domestic advanced manufacturing base to support jobs and economic growth, and invests heavily in research and development
  • Eliminates the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) budget gimmick
  • Promotes democracy by countering China with strong funding to protect a free and open Indo-Pacific
  • Supports working families by funding the President's executive order of a $15/hour minimum wage for Department of Defense personnel
  • Addresses gender-based violence with funding to tackle sexual assault in the military and directs DoD to report on extremist activities
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.
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