Diaz-Balart Statement on Passage of FY17 Funding Bill
WASHINGTON – (RealEstateRama) — Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-25), Chairman of Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee, issued the following statement after the passage of H.R. 244, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2017.
“Today, I voted for legislation that supports our military, enhances our nation’s infrastructure, and keeps our country running. As Chairman of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee, I am proud this bill maintains the critical infrastructure, technologies, and housing opportunities that make a positive difference in the day-to-day lives of our constituents. At a time where our national security is at stake, it strengthens our military with robust resources to defend our country, at home and abroad. It also provides funding to prepare for emerging health threats, to ensure that we are ready to prevent, treat, and respond to any disease outbreaks as we did last summer with the Zika virus.
“I commend Speaker Ryan and Chairman Frelinghuysen for their effort and leadership in negotiating this significant legislation, and look forward to beginning the FY18 appropriations process in regular order.”
Congressman Diaz-Balart, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, was successful in including the following items in the appropriations omnibus:
- $106 million for Everglades restoration
- 49.5 million for the Herbert Hoover Dike
- $7.3 billion for FEMA, rejecting Obama’s proposed cuts to first-responder and other critical grant programs
- 2.1% percent pay raise for the military
- $142 million to respond and prepare for emerging health threats, of which $70 million is for a new Emergency Reserve Fund to respond more rapidly to contagious infectious disease outbreaks
- $3 billion for Community Development Block Grants (CDBG)
- Fully fund Section 8 vouchers and public housing assistance
- $502.4 million for housing for the elderly
- $146.2 million for housing for persons with disabilities
- $40 million for 5,000 new vouchers for homeless veterans (VASH)
- Homeless Assistance Grants: $2.383 million total
- Includes $40 million is for grants for rapid rehousing or other critical activities to assist communities that lost significant capacity to serve the homeless after January 1, 2016 – Miami-Dade County would be an eligible recipient
- $15 million for technical assistance to CoCs
- Including no less than $5 million for high need communities
- Miami-Dade County would be an eligible recipient
- $2.4 billion in grant funding to support law enforcement
- $34 billion to the NIH for research for Alzheimer’s disease, brain, antibiotic resistance, and Precision Medicine Initiative
- $7.3 billion to the CDC for disease prevention and biodefense
- $544 million to the Government Accountability Office to track how taxpayer dollars are spent
- $61 million citrus greening research
- $7.5 million for the Huanglongbing Multiagency Coordination Group’s (HLB-MAC) for early detection, greening management strategies, and therapies to treat infected trees
- $53.8 million for the USDA’s Citrus Health Response Program (CHRP)
- $3.6 billion to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) to fund programs that address prevention and treatment of opioid/heroin abuse
Source: Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart
