Rep. Mike Levin Statement on Bipartisan Appropriations Bills to Invest in Veterans, Working Families, and the Environment
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Mike Levin (D-CA) helped pass a bipartisan package of four government funding bills to invest in servicemembers and veterans, working families, and the environment. The bills include a number of priorities for North County San Diego and South Orange County, including billions for veterans’ health care, homeless assistance programs, nutrition assistance, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) clean-up efforts, and wildfire management.
“Now more than ever, it’s critical that federal resources get back to our community, and I’m glad that this appropriations package includes some key local priorities for veterans, families, and the environment,” said Rep. Levin. “With $90 billion for Veterans Medical Care, $10 billion for mental health care, and nearly $2 billion to help get veterans off the streets, we can fulfill our responsibility to serve military families as well as they have served our country. I’m also glad that this package includes billions of dollars to make sure families and kids aren’t going hungry, which is particularly important as the coronavirus pandemic has hit underserved communities especially hard. And with more than 50 miles of coastline, numerous lagoons, and several PFAS contamination sites in our District, I’m encouraged that the EPA will receive $13 billion in additional emergency funds for EPA infrastructure grants and an additional $10.2 billion for Clean Water and Safe Drinking State Revolving Funds. As we consider more appropriations bills next week, I’ll continue to fight for our local priorities and ensure that our communities receive the federal resources we need.”
See below for highlights from the appropriations package, or click here for a comprehensive fact sheet on the FY 2021 Four-Bill Appropriations Minibus from the Speaker’s office.
For veterans and military families, the package includes:
- $90 billion for Veterans Medical Care, including $10 billion for mental health care
- Nearly $2 billion for homeless assistance programs
- $12.5 billion in emergency appropriations for the Department of Veterans Affairs to address the sharply rising cost of providing health care to our nation’s veterans
- $1.8 billion for VA construction projects
- $1.49 billion is provided for military family housing
- $1.9 billion for veteran suicide prevention and treatment programs
- $200 million in funding for the remediation of Perfluorooctane Sulfanate and Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFAS) contamination on military bases
- Language from Rep. Levin to strengthen the HUD-VASH veteran housing program by ensuring that VA’s budget for case managers is increased as HUD’s budget for new vouchers increases.
For working families, the package includes:
- $68 billion for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and $25 billion for child nutrition programs to help feed hungry families
- More than $1 billion to help ensure all communities have access to broadband service that is needed to improve health, educational, and economic outcomes
- More than $1 billion for the Food Safety and Inspection Service, which will maintain nearly 8,800 frontline inspection workers at at more than 6,400 facilities across the country
To protect our environment, the package includes:
- $13 billion in additional emergency funds for EPA infrastructure grants, including an additional $10.2 billion for Clean Water and Safe Drinking State Revolving Funds; $1 billion for Superfund site remediation; $950 million for lead pipe replacement, sewer overflow control, and other water infrastructure investments for small and disadvantaged communities
- $5.73 billion for wildfire management funding, including $2.35 billion in fire suppression funding
- $3.22 billion for the National Parks Service (NPS), which will support 1,200 new employees at National Parks across the nation
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