WASHINGTON – Last night, Congressman Dave Joyce (OH-14) voted for the bipartisan government funding and border security package along with 299 of his colleagues. The agreement prevents another unnecessary partial government shutdown by including funding for the remaining unfunded appropriations bills: Agriculture; Commerce, Justice and Science; Financial Services and General Government; Homeland Security; Interior; State and Foreign Operations; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development. The President signed this legislation into law earlier today.
“While this bipartisan package was not perfect, it takes critical steps towards securing our nation, promoting economic prosperity, assisting our allies, ensuring the health of our national parks and other public lands, and investing in our nation’s infrastructure,” said Dave. “Importantly, there were several wins for Ohio included in this legislation, like full funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and extensive resources for programs that help us fight the opioid crisis. As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I look forward to continuing to fight for Ohio’s priorities throughout this Congress as we work on the funding bills for the next fiscal year.”
Specifically, the legislation fully funds the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative at $300 million and includes important funding to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes, preventing these invasive fish from devastating the ecosystem. The package also helps Ohioans fight the opioid crisis by advancing drug treatment and recovery initiatives, improving prevention and enforcement efforts, investing $280 million in helping High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas fight back against the epidemic and providing $347 million for grants and programs under the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act.
In addition to providing funding to address the crisis at our southern border, on which Dave released a statement last night, other vital resources provided by the bipartisan package include:
- $3.7 billion for rural development programs to encourage economic development and job creation in rural communities
- $547 million to reduce the maintenance backlogs at our nation’s national parks, wildlife refuges and other public lands
- Over $30 billion in Small Business Administration loan programs to encourage the growth and development of America’s small businesses
- Increased funding for the STOP School Violence Act, Violence Against Women Act programs, and Missing and Exploited Children programs
- $2.9 billion for the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Funds
- $72.6 billion to improve and maintain our nation’s transportation infrastructure
