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Sen. Coons secures Delaware wins in introduced government funding bills

Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), the first Delaware senator in more than 40 years to serve on the Appropriations Committee, announced key provisions secured in Senate-proposed government funding legislation for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022. The Senate Appropriations Committee has now released all 12 funding bills. The bills will next be considered by the full Senate.

“In our annual appropriations bills, my colleagues and I work to deliver critical investments from the federal government that Delawareans need and deserve,” said Senator Coons. “The Senate’s proposed legislation includes important Delaware priorities, such as support for our environment and wildlife, funding for our law enforcement officers and firefighters, and programs to benefit students at institutions like Delaware State University and the University of Delaware. I’m continuing to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to ensure these common-sense investments pass the full Senate and the House of Representatives, so that communities up and down our state benefit from the impacts of Congress’ annual appropriations bills.”

The federal spending bills proposed in the Senate include provisions that will directly support Delaware jobs and key community priorities including:

  • Transportation – The legislation increases funding for all modes of transportation. Specifically, it provides $2.7 billion for Amtrak, of which $968.6 million is for the Northeast Corridor which runs through Wilmington, and $1.09 billion for the multi-modal RAISE grant program. The legislation also provides $3.5 million for airport businesses disrupted by Temporary Flight Restrictions related to Presidential travel, which will directly benefit Delaware. The bill also creates a new competitive grant program to improve the resiliency of transportation infrastructure vulnerable to current and future weather events and natural disasters, including sea level rise and coastal erosion, which is important to Delaware as the state has the lowest mean elevation in the U.S. 
  • Housing – The legislation provides significant investments in the creation and preservation of affordable housing as well as homelessness services. This includes $1.45 billion for the HOME Investment Partnership Program and $3.55 billion for the Community Development Block Grant. It also provides $27.7 billion for tenant-based Section 8 vouchers, which is $1.9 billion more than FY 2021 enacted levels, and $3.26 billion for Homeless Assistance Grants, which is $260 million more than FY 2021 enacted. 
  • Manufacturing – The legislation provides $38 million for Manufacturing USA. Of this, $10 million is specifically directed towards the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL), one of the nation’s 14 Manufacturing USA Institutes, which is based in Newark, Delaware. The legislation also includes $175 million for the NIST Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Program to support small manufacturers. 
  • Agriculture – The legislation includes strong funding for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) conservation programs that provide resources for Delaware farmers to incorporate sustainable agricultural practices and protect the surrounding environment. It also increases funding for important USDA programs, such as the National Institute of Food and the Agriculture and the Economic Research Service, that support agricultural research at the University of Delaware and Delaware State University. The bills also support USDA programs that help Delawareans in rural communities own homes. 
  • Energy – The legislation increases funding for programs at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), such as the State Energy Program and the Weatherization Assistance Program, that encourage energy conservation and help low-income Delawareans make their homes more energy efficient. The bill also supports DOE’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research and Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy programs that provide resources for the University of Delaware to conduct cutting-edge energy research. 
  • Conservation and Restoration – The legislation includes $11 million for the Delaware River Basin Restoration Program, a $1 million increase from FY 2021. It also includes $50 million for North American Wetlands Conservation Fund, a $3.5 million increase from FY 2021. These programs directly support the conservation and restoration of critical ecosystems and wildlife habitats across Delaware and the surrounding region. 
  • Water Quality and the Environment – The legislation includes $35 million for the National Estuary Program, a $3 million increase from FY 2021. It also ensures that each estuary system will be provided at least $750,000, a $50,000 increase from FY 2021. This funding will directly benefit Delaware’s two national estuaries; Delaware Center for the Inland Bays and Partnership for the Delaware Estuary. The legislation also increases funding for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Nonpoint Source Pollution Grants and U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Next Generation Water Observing System, which provide key resources to improve water quality in Delaware.
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) – The legislation includes funding for several USACE projects in Delaware to protect eroding shorelines, maintain waterways, and support the Port of Wilmington. 
  • Oceans and Resilience – The legislation includes increased funding for several National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) programs, including the Oceans and Coastal Security Fund, Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System, Regional Ocean Partnerships, Coastal Zone Management Grants, Marine Debris Program, and the Sea Grant Program that provide resources to protect our oceans and bolster resilience in Delaware communities.
  • Civilian Climate Corps – The legislation supports substantial new funding across the U.S. Department of the Interior to create a strong Civilian Climate Corps. It directs the National Park Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Forest Service to develop plans to support the Civilian Climate Corps and advance its mission to create good jobs in the conservation workforce, help disadvantaged youth, address the impacts of climate change, conserve and restore public lands, and improve access to recreation.
  • National Service – The legislation includes $1.2 billion for the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), which is $64 million above the FY 2021 funding level.  CNCS, the federal agency for volunteering and service, brings people together to tackle the country’s most pressing challenges through national service, including more than 1,300 members in Delaware.  Senator Coons serves as the co-chair of the Senate National Service Congressional Caucus.
  • Workforce – The legislation provides $245 million, an increase of $60 million, for the Department of Labor’s Registered Apprenticeships to help fill the skill gap. 
  • Financial – The legislation includes $13.582 billion for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which is $1.639 billion more than FY 2021. This increase will allow the IRS to process returns and fulfill other customer services more quickly and effectively. As important, additional resources will allow the IRS to make progress of reducing the tax gap, the difference between taxes owed and taxes actually collected. It also provides $1.035 billion for the Small Business Administration and $360 million for the Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Fund. Within the CDFI Fund, $2 million is provided to continue the Economic Mobility Corps program that Senator Coons established. 
  • Violence Intervention and Prevention – The legislation includes $100 million for a new community-based violence intervention grant program.  This program would assist community efforts to address gang and gun violence by funding partnerships between community members, social service providers, law enforcement, local government agencies, and other community stakeholders. 
  • Victims of Child Abuse – The legislation includes $45 million for the Victims of Child Abuse Act (VOCAA), which is $15 million above the FY 2021 funding level.  VOCAA provides funding to Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs) across the country and ensures that Delaware’s three CACs, one in each county, can continue to help victims of child abuse.
  • Support for Law Enforcement – The legislation includes $283 million in funding for the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Program, which is a competitive grant that provides funding directly to state and local law enforcement agencies to hire or re-hire additional officers in support of community policing and crime prevention efforts.
  • Support for Firefighters – The legislation includes $370 million for Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grants and another $370 million for Assistance to Firefighters Grants.  These programs directly help local fire departments increase the number of trained firefighters available in our communities.
  • Science and Research – The legislation includes increased funding for the USGS’s Water Resources Research Institutes, the NOAA Sea Grant Program, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Space Grant Program, the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, and other programs that directly help the University of Delaware and Delaware State University conduct cutting-edge research and provide critical resources for students. 
  • Medical Research – The legislation includes $47.9 billion for the National Institutes of Health, which is $4.9 billion above the FY 2021 funding level.  This includes $2.4 billion to establish the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), which is President Biden’s proposal to find treatments and cures for complex diseases.  Senator Coons, co-chair of the Senate Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Caucus, was also successful at securing $40 million specifically for the Peer-reviewed ALS Research program at the Department of Defense.
  • Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) – The legislation includes $1.1 billion to strengthen our nation’s historically black colleges and universities such as Delaware State University, which is $295 million above the FY 2021 funding level.  Senator Coons serves as the co-chair of the Senate HBCU Caucus.
  • Partnerships with Institutions of Higher Education – The legislation includes $35 million to support partnerships with universities across the United States, including HBCUs and counterpart institutions in developing countries, as well as $735 million for international exchange programs. These funds directly support programs that benefit students at Delaware State University, the University of Delaware, and other higher education institutions across the state.
  • Defense and Veterans – The bills will support a 2.7 percent pay raise for all service members starting in January, including those stationed at Dover Air Force Base, and dedicates $4.3 billion for readiness and operational shortfalls across the services.  Funds provided through these bills also provide the VA with resources needed to provide health care for 9.2 million veterans, including deferred care from the COVID-19 pandemic, disability compensation benefits to nearly 6 million veterans and their survivors, and pension benefits for over 357,000 veterans and their survivors.  This funding will directly benefit the 65,000 veterans residing in Delaware.
  • Combatting National and Global Security Threats – In his role as Chair of the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Coons released the FY 2022 Senate SFOPS appropriations bill, which invests $60.56 billion to confront complex national and global security threats and in partnerships to combat climate change, advance global health security, and fight world hunger.

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