Today, Congresswoman Gwen Moore voted to pass H.R. 8294, a six-bill appropriations minibus. This package includes the following six appropriations bills: Transportation-HUD; Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA; Energy and Water Development; Financial Services and General Government; Interior-Environment; and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs.
“I am proud to support an omnibus package that speaks to many urgent needs in Milwaukee. Federal funding for affordable housing, reducing homelessness, securing clean drinking water, fighting food insecurity, and keeping some of our most vulnerable, domestic violence survivors, housed will benefit and uplift my constituents. I am thrilled that many of the efforts I spearheaded to build on these efforts were included in this omnibus package. I have long supported putting the resources our communities need towards tackling the homelessness crisis. In a bipartisan letter sent earlier this year, I advocated for $3.6 billion for McKinney Vento Homeless Assistance Grant programs, so we can address the rise in homeless and build on the promise of ensuring every person has a home, an amount that is included in this legislation.
I am also a long-time champion of WIC and am pleased this bill includes the $6 billion in funding I requested, including funding for a robust fresh fruits and vegetables voucher. These funds will help ensure WIC can remain a lifeline for women and children and continue helping them access healthy foods. Building on my efforts to fight child hunger, the bill includes $10 million for school breakfast expansion grants, another key effort I fought for. And during debate in the House, my amendment to increase funding for those expansion grants by another $2 million was adopted.
Addressing lead crisis in Milwaukee has remained my priority. There is no safe level of lead exposure, this toxin stays with children as they grow and hinders their development. Federal funding is critical to ending this crisis. That’s why I was so pleased that this legislation also includes a $15 million increase for the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes, which works to remove lead paint. Earlier this year, I led my colleagues in requesting increased funding for this program. The funding package also makes key investments in public transit to support economic growth and help Milwaukee residents stay connected, increases funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to protect the fresh coast, increases investments to help provide emergency housing for domestic violence survivors, takes steps to support our response to climate change, and provides funding that improves the quality of care at the VA, so we can honor our obligation to care for our heroes.”
Last but not least, this legislation includes funding for ten community projects that I requested, which pour resources into Milwaukee. These projects provide crucial funding to:
- Build a new library to serve as a gathering space for the community and provide services for young people and families in the communities of Bayside, Fox Point, Glendale and River Hills.
- Encourage engagement and interest in the arts through Capita Productions Inc.
- Help the City of Glendale reconstruct Silver Spring Dr. from 27th St to the Milwaukee River to reduce congestion and improve safety and accessibility for pedestrians and commuters.
- Support predevelopment loans for emerging real estate developers, including those of color, to encourage investments in low-income neighborhoods through Local Initiatives Support Corporation (Milwaukee Office).
- Ensure reliable public transit for constituents by supporting bus purchases by Milwaukee County.
- Construct a community wellness center at the City of Milwaukee’s Westlawn Gardens Choice Neighborhood Project to provide services that support the health and wellbeing of residents in conjunction with Milwaukee County and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
- Help create a new Park in Brown Deer by revitalize dilapidated property.
- Help low-income homeowners, including seniors, make needed renovations to their homes that make them more accessible and safer through Revitalize Milwaukee.
- In conjunction with the Social Development Commission and Aurora Health Care, provide funding to support the Consortium 27 community center.
- In partnership with Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) and the Wisconsin National Guard, secure funding to protect our water by replacing outdated equipment at Howard Avenue Water Treatment Plant and the South Shore Water Reclamation Facility.
