Tuesday, Rep. Cindy Axne (IA-03) joined Democratic and Republican colleagues in the House in voting to pass a four-bill package of appropriations bills and provide funding certainty to support our national security for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2020.
The bill passed by the House today, H.R. 1158, provides funding for the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Commerce, and other key executive branch agencies tasked with protecting our nation and its citizens.
“I’m proud to have the backs of those Americans who work every single day to keep our country safe by voting today to keep their agencies open and increase investments in programs that are essential to the national defense,” said Rep. Axne. “This legislation will protect our elections, support our local law enforcement, and invest in our national security.”
A number of provisions in the final bill reflect priorities for Iowa and issues which Rep. Axne wrote to members of the House Appropriations Committee to advocate for:
- $65 million for the National Guard Counter-Drug Program, which the Iowa National AirGuard participates in
- $847 million for the Small Business Administration, including $261 million for Entrepreneurial Development Programs and $135 million for Small Business Development Centers
- Allows Customs and Border Protection to hire an additional 240 Agriculture Specialists to help protect against the African Swine Fever
- $425 million for State Election Security Grants to improve election systems and protect our elections from interference
- $492.5 million for Department of Defense Cancer Research, including breast, kidney, ovarian, and rare cancer research
- $22.3 billion for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), including $17.8 billion for disaster response and recovery efforts and $2.9 billion for state and local grants
- $3.28 billion in grants to local and state law enforcement, including the Byrne JAG program and funding to address blacklogs in sexual assault cases
The bill also provides the funding to support a 3.1% pay raise for the men and women of the U.S. armed forces.
A product of bipartisan, bicameral negotiations, this legislation also ensures that the government remains open for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2020, providing budget certainty to federal employees and their families ahead of the holidays.
