One of my most important responsibilities as your Representative in Washington is serving on the Appropriations Committee, which provides funding for critical services and programs across the country.

Appropriations is a long, complex process, and I want you to know how I’m fighting for necessary funding that supports South Florida.

Last week the Appropriations Committee finished consideration of the appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2020, and favorably reported them for consideration by the full House of Representatives.

This is what it looks like when our full Committee meets to debate the appropriations bills (I'm standing in the front, speaking to the Committee about an amendment)

There are 12 appropriations bills - the title of each bill below is a link to more information from the Appropriations Committee website, where you can find summaries sharing how these bills support our district, state, and nation.

I wanted to share a few key South Florida priorities I fought for and secured in each House bill:

Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies

• $8.5 million for a multi-agency response to citrus greening, which is threatening Florida’s agriculture, and $69 million for a Citrus Health Response Program
  
• $20 million for Crop Protection and Pest Management and additional funding in other accounts to address invasive species
  
• $5 million for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to prioritize rare cancer research

Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies

• $3.5 million for the Rape Survivor Child Custody Act – because no rape survivor should be forced to share child custody with the person who violated them
  
• $85 million for missing and exploited children’s programs, including $40 million for the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program
  
• $5 million for a new grant program to prevent the trafficking of girls
  
• $84.5 million for the Coastal Science and Assessment, Response, and Restoration account at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, part of which can be used to fight harmful algal blooms, and $20 million to fund research on harmful algal blooms
  
• $582.5 million for the Office on Violence Against Women, and $49 million for grants to address the sexual assault kit backlog

Defense

• $100 million for the peer-reviewed cancer program, and the addition of metastatic cancer as an eligible category for funding
  Prohibits the use of Defense funds for the President’s border wall
  
• $156.5 million for the Navy’s Force Projection Applied Research program
  
• $970 million for drug interdiction and counter-drug activities
  
  

Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies

• Full federal funding of $200 million for restoration of our cherished River of Grass, the Everglades
• New starts and construction funding for the Army Corps of Engineers, which can support Port Everglades, a vital economic and energy hub for South Florida
  
• Significant funding increases for a renewable energy and sustainability program through the Office of Energy Efficiency Renewable Energy

 Financial Services and General Government

•  $1.3 million for the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act Grant Program to reduce the number of injuries and deaths associated with pools and spas
  
• $25 million for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance to support individuals who cannot afford professional tax services but need assistance to complete their taxes
  
• $600 million for Election Security Grants to support state efforts to improve the security and integrity of elections for federal office
  
• $150 million for Small Business Development Centers, an important economic development engine
  
• $300 million for Community Development Financial Institutions, which provide credit, capital, and financial services to underserved populations and communities across the country

Homeland Security

• $90 million for the Nonprofit Security Grant program to protect our synagogues and churches from domestic terrorist attacks, including $50 million for the Urban Area Security Initiative and $40 million for State Homeland Security Grant Program in nonurban areas
  
• Language prohibiting ICE from removing sponsors of unaccompanied children based on information provided by the Office of Refugee Resettlement through the sponsor application process
• Language that ensures any Member of Congress can visit any DHS migrant detention facility to conduct oversight without any prior notice - including facilities like Homestead in South Florida
  
• Funding for hundreds more customs officers, who will be deployed to ports of entry to help facilitate trade and travel
• Funding for the HERO Child-Rescue Corps, which provides wounded Special Operations Forces training to fight against online sexual exploitation of children
• Includes provisions that protect the rights and living conditions of detained immigrants and establishes an ombudsman position to oversee issues that arise in DHS detention facilities

Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies

• $15.2 million for Everglades restoration
• $3.1 billion for Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds
• Funding for the Invasive Species program within Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Global Change Research Program
• $523.9 million for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which has benefited dozens of parks and harbors in Broward County

Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies

• For the first time in 20 years, $50 million to research gun violence, a public health epidemic that requires urgent attention
• $400 million for the Title X Family Planning Program
• $4.96 million for EARLY Act activities to promote breast cancer awareness for young and at-risk women
• Language that ensures any Member of Congress can visit any migrant detention facility under the management of the Office of Refugee Resettlement to conduct oversight, and do so without any prior notice - including facilities like Homestead in South Florida
• Bars funds from being used for the discrimination of LGBTQ families in the Federal Foster Care Program
• $250 million for tobacco use prevention and cessation programs, an increase of $40 million, addressing the e-cigarette epidemic among youth
• $170 million in new funds for grants to address student social, emotional, and cognitive needs and support trauma-informed services

Legislative Branch

• Language permitting Legislative Branch agencies to employ residents of the United States who hold employment authorization under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (“DACA”) program
  

Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies

• $2 billion in emergency funding to address hurricane damage in North Carolina and Florida
• $1.4 billion for Family Housing Construction
• $80.4 billion for VA medical care, including funding for gender-specific care for women, homeless assistance programs, opioid abuse prevention, and rural health initiatives
• $9.4 billion in mental healthcare services and $222 million in suicide prevention outreach activities, which support a number of initiatives to remove barriers to mental healthcare and reduce the stigma of seeking treatment, as well as putting an emphasis on PTSD research and treatment, firearm safety for veterans, and supporting the Veterans Crisis Line

State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs

• Up to $540.8 million for assistance for the United States Strategy for Engagement in Central America
• $50 million for women’s leadership programs and $250 million for the implementation of a multi-year strategy to prevent and respond to gender-based violence
• $850 million for Maternal and Child Health, and $145 million for nutrition programs

Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies

• $1 billion for the BUILD grant program, which provides grants for highways and bridges, public transportation, freight and passenger rail, port infrastructure, and pedestrian improvements
• $3.6 billion for Community Development Block Grants, a critical tool in creating job opportunities and catalyzing economic development activities in distressed communities
• $30 million for funds for public housing repairs needed due to an unforeseen and unanticipated emergency event or natural disaster
• $4.1 million for the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness
• $2.86 billion for the Public Housing Capital Fund, which provides funding for public housing capital programs, including public housing development and modernization

Starting last week, the full U.S. House of Representatives is considering these bills in packages. You can track the amendments being offered on each bill in real time on the Appropriations Committee's Amendment Tracker. The House is nearing completion of its appropriations process, and we are waiting on the Senate to start its own appropriations process.

I will continue to fight to make sure these important priorities are included as the appropriations bills hopefully go to conference with the Senate later this year.

Have additional questions? My office is always open to you. You can email us here or call us at the phone numbers below.

It is an honor to represent you in Washington,