Costa Votes to Pass Government Funding Bills to Help Valley Families and Communities

WASHINGTON – Congressman Jim Costa (CA-16) released the following statement after the House passed H.R. 8294, a package of six government funding bills, which focuses on helping families and communities across America.

"As we fight growing inflation and the rising costs of living, I was proud to vote for a government funding package that will enhance our quality of life and build more resilient communities," said Costa. "By tackling food insecurity, rebuilding our infrastructure, and addressing the rising cost of living, this package will help meet the needs of my constituents and our Valley."

Costa championed funding for 9 projects that will directly benefit CA-16 residents. These include:

• $4.4 million for the City of Fresno to improve Fresno Yosemite International Airport's primary runway, which is used for daily commercial flights, transportation of goods, wildfire suppression, and homeland security.

• $1 million for the City of Fresno to address homelessness by immediately helping dozens of formerly homeless residents move out of motel shelters and into permanent affordable tiny homes.

• $4 million for the County of Fresno to revitalize streets, sidewalks, and roads in the disadvantaged community of Calwa. This will ensure all residents benefit from safer travel routes and improved ADA-compliant sidewalk facilities.

• $3.68 million for the Merced County Association of Governments to provide equitable and sustainable transportation to Yosemite National Park by converting the Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System (YARTS) fleet to clean diesel buses.

• $3 million for the City of Atwater to improve access to clean drinking water, sanitation services, and water management, which will create opportunities for economic growth in the region by revitalizing water infrastructure in a rural, underserved community.

• $1.95 million for the County of Madera to improve and expand Highway 41. The project addresses safety and congestion concerns on the primary route between Fresno and Yosemite National Park. The project improves safety, reduces greenhouse gases, and eases traffic congestion.

• $1.35 million for the City of Gustine to improve internet access and bridge the digital divide by connecting low-income residents to affordable, reliable high-speed internet, including 5G access for businesses throughout the community.

• $200,000 for Fancher and Redbank Creek projects to increase water supply, improve regional flood protection, and enhance environmental protection in a disadvantaged region.

• $150,000 for the Central California Veterans Home Support Foundation to help maintain the Fresno Veterans Home Memorial, a historical landmark that honors the service and sacrifice of local veterans who served our country.

Supporting Farmers and Tackling Food Insecurity

• Ensures 43.5 million people in SNAP-eligible families receive the benefits they need.

• Invests $28.6 billion in the health of America's kids through Child Nutrition programs like school meals, including the summer EBT program.

• Includes record levels for Food for Peace Title II grants ($1.8 billion) and the McGovern Dole program ($265 million) to combat increasing global food insecurity.

• Provides $298.5 million across the Department of Agriculture to address the impacts of climate change with investments in sustainable agriculture, research, and clean energy.

Investing in our Transportation and Housing Infrastructure

• Provides $560 million to expand broadband, which would help connect underserved communities to economic opportunities, education, and healthcare services. This is in addition to the $2 billion investment in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

• Invests $185 million for the NeighborWorks program to expand affordable housing options and strengthen economic development.

• Invests $39 million to the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) to address shipping delays and supply chain issues at American ports.

• Expands the McKinney-Vento (MKV) Homeless Assistance Grant to provide more than 18,000 new housing options for people at risk of or experiencing homelessness, assist over 750,000 people experiencing homelessness, and more than 350,000 individuals in emergency shelters.

Rebuilding our Water and Energy Infrastructure

• Provides $8.89 billion for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to support the construction, operations, and maintenance of water development projects.
  • Includes $2.5 million for the Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations, which assists in drought research to enhance California's water supply.

• Provides $4 billion for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, including $370 million for the weatherization of over 40,000 low-income households.

• Provides $1.5 billion for rural water and waste program loans, and nearly $680 million in water and waste grants for clean and reliable drinking water systems and sanitary waste disposal systems, which will provide safe drinking water to millions of rural residents.

• Ensures $550 million for Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) to support emerging technologies that will develop new ways to generate, store and use energy.

Serving Valley Veterans

• Provides $118.8 billion for Veterans Medical Care to meet veterans' comprehensive health care needs, such as mental health, suicide prevention, and substance use disorder services like opioid abuse prevention.

• Invests $16.2 billion in additional VA programs, including support for the Veterans Benefits Administration, medical and prosthetic research, construction programs, and the VA electronic health record system.

• Provides $55 million to support the Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program to expand rental assistance, improve housing affordability and help homeless veterans.

Costa also co-sponsored several amendments that passed:

• Providing $8 million for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Veterinary Medicine to improve the timeliness and process for animal feed ingredient reviews to alleviate long existing backlogs and delays for animal feed ingredient reviews.

• Reallocating $5 million in both the Operation of the National Park System account and the National Forest System account to help reduce the risk of catastrophic fires killing giant sequoias.

• Ensuring the FDA can hire additional staff to support the issuance of guidance for the industry on foods derived from plants produced using genome editing and to improve specialty crop resiliency.

Fact sheets and summaries of the package can be found here.