Blunt Rochester Delivers for Delaware, Votes To Pass Government Funding PackageBlunt Rochester Delivers Over $20 Million In Community Project Funding to Delaware
Washington,
July 29, 2021
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Andrew Donnelly
(3028934406)
WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) voted to pass H.R. 4502, a package of seven government funding bills, which focuses on investing in America. The transformative investments in the bill will create good-paying American jobs, grow opportunities for the middle class and small businesses, and provide a lifeline for working families and the vulnerable.
“As we emerge from one of the worst public health crises in history, I was proud to support the seven-bill government funding package that will make critical investments to our country,” Rep. Blunt Rochester said. “Thanks to the leadership of House Democrats, this legislation contains a number of provisions that are of critical importance to Delaware. Taken together, the funding increases in this legislation will reverse decades of disinvestment and help America Build Back Better.”
The legislation includes over $20 million in Community Project Funding for Delaware secured by Rep. Blunt Rochester:
The funding would be used for much-needed repairs to the historic school, a landmark designated by the Delaware Public Archives that serves as a bipartisan, multiracial source of community and pride. The school is an essential community facility which hosts community programs for seniors and youth, provides education space for youth in the community that lack reliable internet, and contains a community food pantry.
The funding would be used to provide efficient and cost-effective telehealth access for rural and underserved communities across Delaware. The project would help decrease health disparities throughout the state by providing reliable internet access that is within reasonable travel distances.
The funding would be used to outfit a mobile health van and create a mobile clinic to help address health disparities and poor health outcomes in disadvantaged communities within Western Sussex County, Delaware. The mobile clinic will also serve three school-based wellness centers in collaboration with the school systems and utilize data analytics to direct services to communities with the greatest need.
The funding would be used for the construction of an essential community facility which will support agricultural programming for families that reside in underserved rural areas in Delaware. It would also support the Delaware 4-H and FFA Association programming, including STEM-based learning, wellness, and leadership skills.
The funding would be used to address the lack of small business incubators in Kent County, Delaware, including Dover. The incubator will promote entrepreneurship and community development in Dover and for underserved communities in the region.
The funding would be used for the replacement of a critical maintenance hangar needed by the Delaware Air National Guard 166th Airlift Wing to effectively accomplish their domestic and foreign missions on behalf of Delaware and the nation. The new hangar would replace a nearly 60-year-old hangar that not only makes work on critical maintenance less efficient but poses serious safety hazards for the service members and the aircraft.
"I am particularly pleased that I have been able to meet some of Delaware’s most pressing needs with the Community Project Funding in this bill,” Rep. Blunt Rochester said. “With these dollars, we will be able to create a viable economy with the jobs of the future and help working people, making a real difference in the lives of so many.”
Background:
The appropriations package supports our nation’s workers, students, and families by providing $253.8 billion for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and related agencies. This includes transformative increases for child care, education, job training, worker protection, public health infrastructure, and biomedical research.
The bill tackles hunger, lifts up rural communities, rebuilds our public health and consumer safety infrastructure, confronts the climate crisis, and ensures equity with $26.55 billion for the Department of Agriculture, including rural development programs, the Food and Drug Administration, and related agencies.
The appropriations package creates good-paying jobs by confronting the climate crisis and rebuilding our nation’s water infrastructure, providing $53.226 billion for the Department of Energy, the Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation, and related agencies.
The bill supports small businesses, protects our democracy, rebuilds the Internal Revenue Service, and strengthens consumer protection by providing $29.1 billion for the Department of the Treasury, The Judiciary, the Election Assistance Commission, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, and other general government agencies.
The appropriations package creates good-paying jobs in renewable energy, strengthens environmental enforcement with a focus on environmental justice, and supports Native American families with $43.4 billion for the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Indian Health Services.
The bill supports our veterans, invests in military family housing, and protects our national security while building climate resilience, providing $279.9 billion for military construction, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and related agencies.
Finally, the appropriations package creates jobs by rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure, grows opportunity through homeownership and rental assistance, and promote safe transportation and public housing by providing $84.1 billion for the Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development and related agencies.
A detailed summary of the legislation is available here.
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