Rep. Chu Statement on FY23 Omnibus Spending Bill

Washington, DC – Today, the House of Representatives voted to pass the Senate amendment to H.R. 2617, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, which provides $1.7 trillion to fund the federal government through fiscal year 2023. Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27) voted in favor of the legislation and issued the following statement:

"I was proud to vote today for legislation that ensures the government stays open and makes significant and important investments in our national priorities—both at home and abroad. The legislation includes continued support to President Zelensky and the Ukrainian people in their fight against Putin's war of aggression, as well as important safeguards to protect our electoral system and reestablish the peaceful transfer of power in our democracy. I am thrilled that the package also includes over $33 million in community project funding I requested that will go directly to the San Gabriel Valley to support projects that range from expanding access to dental care, increasing outdoor recreation in the San Gabriel Mountains through an Urban Shuttle system, and investing in affordable housing.

"As a member of the Ways and Means Committee, I am also proud that this legislation includes multiple changes to the tax code I championed that will benefit Americans. The Encourage Americans to Save Act, which I authored, will refashion the saver's tax credit into a more generous saver's match—a federal matching contribution up to $1,000 per year into a retirement savings account. Importantly, the Saver's Match will be permanent and refundable, ensuring that it will help countless low- and middle-income Americans achieve a stable retirement in the future. The ABLE Age Adjustment Act, which I proudly co-led, will allow more Americans with disabilities to save for retirement and disability-related expenses in tax-advantaged accounts. Additionally, I am very pleased that this legislation will create a new benefit category for Medicare beneficiaries struggling with addiction by expanding coverage to Intensive Outpatient Services for individuals with mental health or substance use disorders who presently fall in a coverage gap—requiring more care than typical outpatient visits but less care than intensive inpatient services like hospitalization or around-the-clock supervision.

"However, while I believe this bill includes necessary funding I strongly support, I was frustrated that Republican congressional negotiators refused to include a number of critical priorities for the American people. For instance, even as abortion access faces unprecedented attacks by the Supreme Court and extreme politicians around the country, this bill fails to increase much needed funding for reproductive rights, including the Title X Family Planning Program, and even maintains the dangerous Hyde Amendment which keeps low-income women from being able to access safe abortion care. Further, this bill fails to provide relief to the millions of families stuck in our broken immigration system or extend the expanded Child Tax Credit, which lowered child poverty by nearly 50 percent during 2021. Finally, while I am proud of the increases in domestic spending to support Americans, I remain deeply concerned about the continued, excessive increase in spending for the Department of Defense, which in this package surpasses even the President's budget request."

$33,545,000 in Community Project Fundingfor the San Gabriel Valley:

• $750,000 for the Charles White Park Renovation in Altadena, CA
• $215,000 for the Chinatown Service Center for Expanding Dental Access for Underserved Communities
• $900,000 for the Pasadena Outreach Response Team to provide behavioral health and related services to people experiencing homelessness
• $3,000,000 for the Claremont Wildlands Conservancy Clara Oaks Acquisition
• $3,000,000 for the Colorado Street/Boulevard Corridor Complete Street in Arcadia CA
• $480,000 for the Garfield Health Center for Expanding Access to Health Care in Rosemead
• $5,000,000 for the Glendora People Movement Project
• $750,000 for the LA-San Gabriel Mountains Urban Shuttle System
• $1,200,000 for the Multimodal Improvement Project at Valley Boulevard in Alhambra, CA
• $500,000 for the Family Resource Center at Pasadena City College
• $1,500,000 for the Pasadena On-Street Dining Project
• $10,000,000 for the San Gabriel Basin Restoration Fund
• $4,000,000 for the San Gabriel Valley Regional Housing Trust's Affordable Housing Project Pipeline
• $1,500,000 for the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments' Mobile Crisis Program
• $750,000 for the Transitional Housing Units for Reducing Homelessness Among Foster Youth

Other highlights in the omnibus include:

• $12.6 billion for new affordable housing, maintenance for public and low-income housing, and community development
• $3.6 billion for Homeless Assistance Grants
• $1.3 billion for resilient, clean, multimodal transportation investment
• $47.5 billion for the National Institutes of Health
• $7.5 billion for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
• $15.5 billion for special education
• $7,395 for the maximum Pell Grant, an increase of $500 per semester
• $18.59 million for Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions, an increase of over $7 million
• $1.2 billion for the Small Business Administration
• $15.3 billion for clean energy and science research
• $1.9 billion for the Bureau of Reclamation to improve drought resilience
• $25.4 billion for NASA, including the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
• $28.5 billion for Child Nutrition programs including summertime school meal benefits
• $4.2 billion for Wildland Fire Management
• $8 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant, an increase of $1.9 billion
• $12 billion for Head Start, an increase of $960 million
• $632 million for Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
• $299 million for the National Labor Relations Board, an increase of $25 million
• $25 million for the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act
• $10 million for programs authorized under the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act
• Passage of the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act
• Passage of the Jackie Walorski Maternal and Child Home Visiting Reauthorization Act of 2022
• Requires all states to cover children on Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for 12 months regardless of changes in income
• Makes permanent the option for states to provide women with uninterrupted Medicaid coverage for 12 months postpartum
• Extends COVID-19 telehealth flexibilities for two years, through December 31, 2024