The U.S. House passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024 today with a vote of 339 to 85.
The package contains six appropriations bills to fund government agencies through fiscal year 2024, lower costs for Americans and support hardworking families.
Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan represents District 4 in Virginia and voted in favor of the legislation.
“After months of Republican inaction and dysfunction, we are finally advancing a bipartisan and responsible bill fully to fund several federal government agencies,” McClellan said. “Despite Republicans’ extreme attempts to load must-pass legislation with draconian budget cuts and poison pill policy riders, House Democrats held the line and successfully defeated their efforts. This appropriations package will boost our economy and fight inflation, support our continued efforts to address the climate crisis, protect reproductive freedom, and uphold our commitments to our veterans.”
The funding package will:
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Boost the economy and fight inflation by fully funding key social safety net programs, including food assistance, affordable housing, WIC, and more.
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Protect the environment and fight climate change by funding key environmental agencies and allocating necessary funding to support the deployment of clean-energy technologies, create new jobs, and invest in cutting-edge scientific and climate-related research.
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Honor our veterans by investing in the Veterans’ Affairs administration, including targeted investments that advance women’s health, mental health, and homelessness assistance.
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Defend Americans’ freedoms by blocking attempts to limit reproductive health care, including abortion and increase funding for gender-based violence prevention and prosecution programs.
The appropriations package also includes Community Project Funding (CPF) requests, formerly known as earmarks. Members of Congress were limited to 15 requests. McClellan successfully secured more than $15 million for all 15 projects she submitted on behalf of localities in Virginia’s District 4:
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$725,000 for Henrico County’s Universal Broadband Deployment Project to extend fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) infrastructure to 412 serviceable units in the County.
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$188,787 for the Southside Community College’s In-Demand Technical Training Learning Project to allow the community college to purchase equipment and technical training tools for the school’s precision machining, electricity and HVAC, welding, and information technology programs.
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$963,000 for Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing’s (CCAM) Investments in Advanced Manufacturing Development Project to accelerate research of state-of-the-art manufacturing demonstration solutions.
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$963,000 for Virginia Biotechnology Research Partnership Authority’s (Activation Capital) Life Sciences Innovation Center and Laboratory Equipment Project to fully outfit the center and lab with state-of-the-art laboratory and research equipment.
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$1,961,000 for An Achievable Dream’s Youth Crime Prevention, Enrichment, and Discipline Reduction Project to provide critical mental health support to at-risk students.
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$959,752 for the City of Colonial Heights’s Waterline Replacement Project to renew aging water infrastructure that directly improves water quality, capacity, and pressure for many residents within the city.
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$959,752 for the City of Petersburg’s Poor Creek Force Main Capacity Improvements Project to replace the existing wastewater system to improve functionality and capacity to provide the public access to a reliable wastewater service
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$959,752 for the City of Richmond’s Combined Sewer Overflow Waste Water Treatment Pumping Station Project to replace critical wastewater treatment equipment and increase the capacity and reliability of the pumping station.
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$959,752 for the Prince George County’s Water Transmission Main Appomattox River Crossing Project to provide a more reliable means of transmitting drinking water to central water system customers.
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$959,752 for Surry County’s Water System Upgrade Project to replace and upgrade water wells and water infrastructure at the Surry County School Complex.
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$500,000 for the Richmond International Airport’s Aircraft Apron Project to allow for the construction of a new aircraft apron in the northwest and southwest corners of the airfield.
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$500,000 for Brunswick County’s Industrial Site Development Project to provide road and utility improvements to the Stonewall Industrial Site, greatly reducing the risks associated with site development to enhance site appeal to prospects for industrial development.
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$1,000,000 for Chesterfield’s Ettrick Passenger Rail Station Improvements Project to begin the design and construction process of a new passenger rail station that will replace the structurally deficient Ettrick station.
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$1,749,000 for the City of Richmond’s Route 1 High Injury Street Network Project to support the development of a new intersection at Richmond Highway (US Route 1) and the offset intersections of Harwood Street and Hopkins Road to prevent deaths and serious injuries.
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$1,666,279 for the Richmond YWCA’s Transforming Lives After Surviving Domestic Violence Project to build at least forty new residential units and provide 24/7 innovative programming and services for survivors of domestic violence in the Richmond area.
“I am thrilled to have secured over $15 million for important community projects in Virginia’s Fourth,” McClellan said. “This federal funding will support critical local priorities that will help modernize our infrastructure and support our communities. I commend the local elected officials and community leaders who submitted projects and worked with my office throughout the appropriations process. Thanks to our collective efforts, this federal funding will make a meaningful difference in the lives of Virginians and stimulate economic development throughout our district.”
In the coming days, the final six appropriations bills for fiscal year 2024 are expected to be released and should be up for a vote before expiration on March 22, 2024.
Leaders of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC), including Co-Chairs Reps. Doris Matsui, Mike Quigley, and Paul Tonko, Vice Chairs Reps. Don Beyer of Virginia, Matt Cartwright, Sean Casten, Chellie Pingree, and Katie Porter, and Chair Emeritus Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia, released the following statement in response to the House passage of Fiscal Year 2024 funding bills for the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies; Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies; Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies; Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies.
“Today, House Democrats fought hard to pass long-overdue bipartisan government spending bills that continue to invest in America and confront the worsening climate crisis. We resoundingly rejected the extreme cuts and poison pill riders proposed by extremist House Republicans that would have reversed our progress and gutted core federal programs that millions of Americans count on.”
According to the SEEC, House Democrats “held strong to our principle that the government should work for the American people. For our farmers and ranchers, we have defended critical programs that aid agricultural land conservation and help rural communities access clean energy. For our scientists and domestic manufacturers, we have funded cutting-edge scientific research and supported the continued deployment of clean energy technologies across America. And for our environmental justice communities across the nation, we have protected targeted investments that tackle pollution and create good-paying jobs.”
“The investments delivered today will secure our ability to put food on the table, expand support for the American manufacturing sector, and continue the critical fight against the climate crisis. We need to use this momentum to finish the job on the remaining Fiscal Year 2024 funding bills and fully fund our government.”
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Rebecca Barnabi
