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Jayapal Votes for Domestic Spending Package Funding Critical Government Services, Brings Nearly $34 Million Back to Seattle

WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) released the following statement after voting to pass the Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) budget through the House of Representatives, through which she secured more than $33.9 million in federal funding for 15 community-based projects in the Seattle area. 

“Once again, Democrats have proven that they continue to work for every person, in every place across our country to have a brighter future. I was proud to vote for and use the force of the Congressional Progressive Caucus to help advocate for a spending package that keeps our government funded, and makes desperately needed investments in our families, communities and state and local government services. Importantly, the package also includes a critical revision to the Electoral Count Act to support our fair and free elections.

“This ambitious package allocates critical necessary funds for pandemic readiness, provides relief for working families by extending certain Medicare benefits and helping families save for retirement, and allocates billions of dollars in funding to the Department of Housing and Urban Development to address our housing crisis. It also includes legislation that will make historic investments to enforce antitrust law and rein in corporate monopolies, as well as the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, to guarantee long-overdue basic workplace accommodations for pregnant employees, and also contains major new investments in mental health services to improve access, expand our mental health workforce and increase coverage of mental health services. In addition, it will take a critical step towards addressing climate action by providing an additional $576 million for the Environmental Protection Agency. We also reiterated our continued and steadfast commitment to Ukraine by including $44.9 billion in emergency military, economic, and humanitarian assistance in this legislation in their fight for sovereignty against Russia’s illegal and unlawful war.

“One of my top priorities in this bill was to ensure a significant budget increase for the National Labor Relations Board and we have delivered that. For the first time since 2014, the National Labor Relations Board will see a $25 million increase after crippling cuts to staffing that has hurt our ability to hold employers accountable and support the burst of worker organizing across the country. While this is still a first step in fully funding the agency, this funding will help the Board do the important work of protecting private sector workers’ right to bargain for better wages and working conditions and avert a funding crisis. 

“Finally, I am very proud that this bill includes major funding for Seattle. We’re investing in the Ballard Locks Project and increasing funding for the Port of Seattle as well as investing $33 million for community funded projects in my own district. These 15 projects expand access to affordable housing, arts, science, education, and community services, and enrich the lives of my constituents, and I am so proud to be able to support these critical activities with federal funding.”

A list of the projects in alphabetical order is below. More information on the projects can be found here:

  • $4,000,000 for the 148th Street Non-Motorized Bridge Project, City of Shoreline
  • $500,000 for Community Financial Skill-Building, Colectiva Legal del Pueblo
  • $3,000,000 for the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel Improvements, Central Puget Sound Transit Authority
  • $1,500,000 for the Equity and Ecosystem Health Through Water Column Observation, Regents of the University of Washington
  • $486,781 for Pathways to Tech, Unloop
  • $650,000 for the Refugee Artisan Initiative Capital Improvements, Refugee Artisan Initiative
  • $500,000 for the Restoration of the 1926 Mukai Cold Process Fruit Barreling Plant, Friends of Mukai
  • $4,000,000 for ROOTS Young Adult Shelter Acquisition and Facility Improvements, Roots Young Adult Shelter
  • $985,000 for Safety, Health, and Hygiene Upgrades at Kerner-Scott House, Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC)
  • $750,000 for the Seattle Aquarium Ocean Pavilion Project, Seattle Aquarium
  • $3,558,960 for the Seattle Center Shelter Facilities Sustainable Emergency Power, City of Seattle, Seattle Center Department
  • $1,000,000 for Seattle Opportunity Work Corps, Seattle Jobs Initiative
  • $5,000,000 for Thunderbird Treatment Center on Vashon Island, Seattle Indian Health Board
  • $4,000,000 for UHeights Community Center Capital Improvements, University Heights Center for the Community Association
  • $4,000,000 for the White Center Community Hub Construction, White Center Community Development Association

Progressive Priorities in the Omnibus Appropriations Bill: 

  • Increases funding for the National Labor Relations Board for the first time in nearly a decade, adding $25 million to the agency’s budget that is essential to keep pace with expanded working union organizing and collective bargaining across the country and protect workers’ rights from union-busting and retaliation;
  • Extends robust Medicaid funding for Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories, to protect these American citizens’ access to care, including ensuring that more than 1 million Puerto Rico residents do not lose their health coverage or experience deep cuts to eligibility and benefits;
  • Provides new, permanent food assistance for low-income families in the summer with a $40 grocery benefit per child per month;
  • Extends the summer school meals program for low-income students, including rural home delivery, to ensure that children do not go hungry while school is out of session;
  • Adds $1 billion to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program so that support for families will increase to account for higher energy costs;
  • Appropriates $27 billion for disaster relief for communities impacted by extreme weather events which are critical to helping the agency meet the increased frequency and severity of natural disasters;
  • Increases funding for child care, Head Start, and Pre-K for low-income families by nearly $3 billion;
  • Expands access to affordable housing and rental assistance for tens of thousands of families at risk of homelessness;
  • Continues coverage for 40 million children on Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), ensuring uninterrupted access to health care throughout the year;
  • Significantly increases funding support for antitrust enforcement at the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice;
  • Permanently extends 12 months of Medicaid postpartum health-care coverage to participating states;
  • Fully funds the implementation of the Honoring our PACT Act, which will provide medical care to millions of veterans exposed to toxins during their military service;
  • Provides robust funding for FEMA’s Case Management Pilot Program to help people navigate immigration proceedings;
  • Extends the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa program through the end of 2024 and adds 4,000 more visas;
  • Provides billions of dollars in federal support to thousands of community projects advocated for by House Democrats across the United States.

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