Rep. Chu Votes Yes on Spending Package that Delivers over $6 Million to CA-28 for Fire Recovery, Public Safety

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 397-28 to pass H.R. 6938, the FY26 Commerce-Justice-Science, Energy and Water, and Interior-Environment appropriations minibus, a three-bill funding package that invests in science, public safety, energy and water infrastructure, and environmental protection for communities nationwide, including Southern California. Rep. Chu (CA-28) released the following statement: 

“While I would have liked to see even stronger investments, this bill makes progress toward rejecting the Trump administration’s draconian cuts and reinvesting in American communities. It restores Congress’s role in deciding how taxpayer dollars are spent, and helps relieve cost pressures on families. Democrats successfully put limits on agency changes that would weaken the federal workforce or threaten important programs, and pushed back against the Trump administration’s deepest proposed budget cuts, ” said Rep. Chu. “However, while I am glad this package rejects the White House’s plan to gut science funding and reinvests in NASA and the National Science Foundation, I am deeply disappointed that it supports their plan to cancel the Mars Sample Return mission led by Jet Propulsion Laboratory in my district. We cannot afford to lose more of our Mars experts, which is why I plan to continue working with NASA and my colleagues in Congress to protect JPL and bring these samples back., Despite this disappointment, and while no single bill can undo the harm caused under President Trump, this legislation represents meaningful progress at restoring some of our federal government’s most important functions.”

Within the bill, Rep. Chu secured more than $6 million in funding for six projects that will directly benefit residents of California’s 28th District. These include:

• $1,092,000 for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works’ Altadena Public Sewer Enhancement Project
  • This funding will expand public sewer service to approximately 600 properties in Altadena, an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County that currently rely, or previously relied, on septic systems prior to the January 2025 Eaton Fire.
• $1,031,000 for the Sierra Madre Public Safety Improvement Project
  • This funding will equip the Sierra Madre Police Department with modern public safety tools, including upgraded radio communications, mobile data computers, emergency response vehicles, and tasers.
• $1,031,000 for the City of South Pasadena to upgrade police communication systems
  • This funding will modernize police radios and dispatch equipment so officers can communicate more clearly, meet federal safety standards, and better coordinate with neighboring cities during emergencies.
• $1,031,000 for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s helicopter
  • This funding will be used to purchase a helicopter to help law enforcement quickly respond to emergencies, locate and apprehend fugitives, serve high-risk warrants, and support critical public safety operations, including in the Angeles National Forest.
• $1,031,000 for the Upland Police Department
  • This funding will upgrade the department’s computer-aided dispatch and records management systems, improving response times, coordination, and access to critical information for officers and dispatchers.
• $1,031,000 for the City of Pasadena’s Regional Public Safety Communications Upgrade
  • This funding will modernize radio and repeater site technology to increase system capacity and reliability, improving communication among first responders and essential personnel and strengthening public safety across Pasadena and the surrounding region.

“I am proud to have secured $6,247,000 in Community Project Funding in this bill to support projects across my district, from Altadena to Upland,” Rep. Chu continued. “These investments will strengthen public safety, improve public health, and modernize critical infrastructure as we recover from the Eaton Fire.”

The bill also: 

• Reasserts Congress’s power of the purse through mandatory staffing thresholds, notification requirements, and funding tables
• Helps address higher energy costs and rising utility bills, increasing investment in electric grid infrastructure by $375 million
• Helps keep our communities safe by increasing funding for Violence Against Women Act grants by $7 million
• Invests in water infrastructure and climate resilience by increasing funding for the Army Corps of Engineers by $1.8 billion ($10.4 billion total)
• Rejects the White House’s effort to eviscerate funding for scientific research by providing sustained funding for science agencies including NASA, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy Office of Science, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and more.
• Provides $3.1 billion for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy funding, repudiating the Trump administration’s crusade against clean energy
• Protects the environment with $8.8 billion in EPA funding – nearly double the White House budget proposal

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