ICYMI: Senate overwhelmingly passes MilCon-VA, Ag-FDA, and Transportation-HUD appropriations bills; As Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Murray authored and secured Senate passage of the “minibus” bill
Senator Murray: “The three bills we just passed are the first and only serious, bipartisan appropriations bills to clear either chamber of Congress.”
***WATCH & READ: Senator Murray’s floor remarks***
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, led the Senate in passing three serious bipartisan appropriations bills in an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 82-15. The Senate’s “minibus” package passed today includes the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies (MilCon-VA), Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration (Ag-FDA), and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (T-HUD) funding bills for Fiscal Year 2024, all of which passed through the Senate Appropriations Committee unanimously this summer.
“As Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I worked hard to make sure this legislative package included major wins for Washington state and reflected our state’s funding priorities—and I am proud we were able to secure hundreds of millions of dollars across these bills for important projects and programs that families and businesses throughout Washington rely on,” said Senator Murray. “These resources will go directly into our communities: to deliver top-notch medical care for our veterans, fix and upgrade local infrastructure, improve rural emergency communications networks, build more affordable housing across Washington state, and so much more.”
“The three bills we just passed are the first and only serious, bipartisan appropriations bills to clear either chamber of Congress,” Murray continued. “Let’s be clear: we still have a lot of work to do to pass full-year funding with the investments we need to keep the U.S. strong, safe, and competitive—especially in a moment that truly calls for American leadership. But today, we’ve shown there is a clear roadmap for how we can best get our work done. Importantly, this bill delivers for Washington state and shows that Congress can still do its job.”
The T-HUD bill provides a historic increase in funding for the FAA to hire more air traffic controllers and reduce flight delays, and protects key investments in transportation infrastructure and housing programs important to Washington state. The bill also includes a $275 million increase for Homeless Assistance Grants—including $80 million in targeted increases to advance coordination between housing and health services to improve outcomes for individuals experiencing homelessness, including in Washington state—and a $62 million increase for the Native American Housing Block Grant formula program, a record high for the program. The legislation also includes more than $65 million in Congressionally Directed Spending for 22 affordable housing and infrastructure projects across Washington state.
The MilCon-VA bill boosts funding for military construction and family housing, and notably, Murray secured $582 million specifically for veterans and military construction projects in Washington state.
The Ag-FDA bill includes important investments in agricultural research, food safety, rural development, and robust funding for nutrition assistance programs, in addition to $8.45 million in Congressionally Directed Spending for four projects in Washington state that will upgrade communications networks in rural areas, improve the Agricultural Research Service facility in Prosser, and renovate the City of Roslyn’s historic City Hall.
In the T-HUD bill, Senator Murray secured more than $65 million in Congressionally Directed Spending requests for twenty-two major projects in Washington state:
- $1.7 million for Adams County for preliminary engineering and design for five bridges across the county, which will support completion of the Odessa Groundwater Replacement project.
- $1.5 million for the City of Cle Elum for complete streets and accessibility infrastructure as part of the final phase of its First Street Downtown Revitalization project.
- $400,000 for the City of Spokane to plan and design a suicide barrier on the Monroe Street Bridge.
- $4 million for the City of Vancouver’s Heights Infrastructure Investment Project, specifically, for horizontal infrastructure development including streets and roadways, parks, drainage, and other public amenities.
- $3.888 million for Grant County for a bridge replacement project to help the Bureau of Reclamation deliver water to irrigators through the Odessa Groundwater Replacement project.
- $2 million for the Highline United Methodist Church in Burien for planning, design, and construction of a new shelter and crisis care center.
- $4 million for the Housing Authority of the City of Vancouver’s Lieser School Redevelopment Project to fund a street connection that will allow for major components of the project to move forward, including rental unit apartments, a new public park to increase access to open space for the community, and an early learning child care facility for low-income children and families.
- $2.2 million for Indian American Community Services in Kent to support the reconstruction of a community hub that will offer everything from small business support to early learning services in South King County.
- $4 million for Island Transit for pre-construction and construction activities for the multimodal South Whidbey Transit Center facility.
- $3 million for the Low-Income Housing Institute in Seattle to support the construction of their Aurora Senior Housing project, which will have 90 units of affordable housing for seniors at Aurora and 125th.
- $8 million for the Lummi Nation to elevate Slater Road to preserve access and mobility during frequent flooding events.
- $3.7 million for the Makah Indian Tribe to make road improvements on the Makah Passage.
- $4 million for the Meridian School District to construct a new early learning center in Whatcom County.
- $4 million for the Multicultural Child and Family Hope Center, based in Tacoma, to construct 17 Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program classrooms that will provide no-cost early education to children from low-income communities.
- $1.5 million for Pierce County to widen the road and incorporate complete streets infrastructure as part of their South Hill 122nd Ave Corridor Safety and Relief Project.
- $1.5 million for the Port of Walla Walla’s US-12 Clinton Interchange Project which will replace an at-grade intersection with an interchange.
- $1 million for the Spokane International Airport’s Aircraft Parking Apron Project, which proposes to add a new taxi lane and apron to allow an aerial firefighting company to expand their presence at the airport.
- $3 million for the Spokane Tribe of Indians for the relocation of a Head Start facility.
- $3 million for Sound Transit for project development activities for the West Seattle Link light rail extension.
- $3 million for Sound Transit to support project development activities for the Ballard Link light rail extension.
- $1.755 million for the South Kitsap Helpline to construct a new Food Distribution Center to allow for expanded services.
- $4 million for the United Learning Center of Lewis County to build a high-quality early learning center that will service 80 students each year from low- to moderate-income families in a location that will also help to revitalize downtown Centralia.
A full summary and additional information about the T-HUD bill is HERE.
In the MilCon-VA bill, Senator Murray secured the following funding for Washington state projects and priorities, including over $31 million in Congressionally Directed Spending:
- $100 million for barracks at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
- $195 million for Shipyard Electrical Backbone at Naval Base Kitsap/Puget Sound Shipyard.
- $62 million for SOF Consolidated Parachute Rigging Facility at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
- $71 million for Bulk Storage Tanks, Phase 2 at Defense Fuel Supply Point Manchester.
- $45 million for the American Lake VAMC renovation costs.
- $78 million for Phase 3 of the Tahoma National Cemetery gravesite development.
- $7.5 million in Congressionally Directed Spending for vehicle maintenance shop at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
- $3.6 million in Congressionally Directed Spending for the National Guard/Reserve Center Building at Camp Murray.
- $11.1 million in Congressionally Directed Spending for the E/A-18G Aircraft Regional Service Facility at the Whidbey Island Naval Air Station.
- $7.9 million in Congressionally Directed Spending for barracks at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
- $960,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending for an Automated Infantry Platoon Battle Course at the Yakima Training Center.
A full summary and additional information about the MilCon-VA bill is HERE.
In the Ag-FDA bill, Senator Murray secured $8.45 million in Congressionally Directed Spending requests:
- $1.4 million for the City of Roslyn to renovate their 120-year-old historic Old City Hall.
- $3 million for the completion of repairs and capital improvements at USDA’s Agricultural Research Service facility in Prosser.
- $1.05 million for Kittitas County for upgrades to public safety radio network and equipment for interoperable communications improvements.
- $3 million for Okanogan County to upgrade their public safety radio network and purchase mobile and portable radios for first responders.
A full summary and additional information about the Ag-FDA bill is HERE.
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