Haaland Priorities for New Mexico Working Families, Climate, Water Provisions in Appropriations Package

Press Release

Congresswoman Deb Haaland (NM-01) secured priorities for New Mexico working families and climate provisions in the appropriations package that passed earlier this week. The year-end funding package passed the House Floor, with crucial investments in healthcare, education, jobs, and environmental protections. Haaland also voted for an urgent COVID-19 relief package that will keep families and communities across the country safe and healthy. The package sits on the President's desk for signature.

"Our funding bills reflect our priorities, and I'm proud that the appropriations package we passed this week includes important funding to increase access to health care, education, broadband internet and veterans benefits while combating climate change," said Congresswoman Deb Haaland, Vice Chair of the House Natural Resources Committee.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act includes investments to give working families a better chance at a better life, protect our nation, and uphold our values by specifically:

Expanding access to housing by, for the first time, providing $43.4 million in new targeted vouchers to reduce homelessness among families with children, individuals, the unsheltered, veterans, and survivors of domestic violence.
Tackling food insecurity, with robust investments in WIC, child nutrition programs, and SNAP.
Removing barriers to an affordable education, through the largest expansion of Pell Grant recipients in over a decade, reaching 500,000 new recipients, ensuring more than 1.5 million students will now receive the maximum benefit, and finally ending the ban preventing students who are incarcerated from receiving Pell Grants.
Supporting Native communities through $6.23 billion for Indian Health Service and $7 million for Tribal nutrition programs, and $1 billion Tribal Broadband Connectivity Grants
Expanding broadband internet access for rural communities, with more than $730 million in the expansion of broadband service to provide economic development opportunities and improved education and healthcare services.
Fighting for a more humane immigration approach, reducing funding for ICE's overly aggressive detention and removal activities by $431 million below the fiscal year 2020 level.
Keeping our communities safe by providing $3.3 billion for state and local preparedness grants, training and exercises, an increase of $131.4 million above the fiscal year 2020 level, including: $180 million for non-profit security grants, an increase of $90 million above the fiscal year 2020 level.
Combating the gun violence epidemic, with $25 million split evenly for federal research at the CDC and NIH into our nation's gun violence epidemic.
Supporting servicemembers and military families with funding above the President's budget request for programs directly impacting the quality of life for service members, their families, and military communities, and by fully funding the 3.0 percent military pay raise, as well as securing $10 million for a pilot "Rent the Camo" program to supply maternity uniforms to pregnant service members.
Honoring our responsibilities to veterans, providing $90 billion for VA medical care, including funding to provide homelessness assistance, suicide prevention and outreach, and gender-specific care.
Supporting New Mexico's Military Installations and National Labs by promoting technology transition from the labs into the market, supporting R&D on renewable energy microgrids for resilient electricity distribution systems, securing funding for renewable energy microgrids work at military bases including Kirtland AFB and funding for resilient solar power satellite architectures.
Celebrating diversity by establishing the Women's History Museum and the National Museum of the American Latino within the Smithsonian Institute.
Haaland worked tirelessly to include provisions that would address climate change and protect public lands including:

A prohibition on new oil and gas leasing near Chaco Canyon until the completion of a cultural resources investigation which receives $600,000 in the bill.
$9.24 billion, a $180 million increase, for the Environmental Protection Agency to ensure clean air and water and to hold polluters accountable. This funding level is the highest in ten years, and the second highest level of all time.
$7.026 billion for DOE's Office of Science to support energy innovation of the future; $2.86 billion for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and $427 million for ARPA-E to support the development of clean, affordable, and secure energy; and $367.7 million for a reliable, resilient electric grid.
$2 billion for NASA Earth Science, including climate observing programs, an increase of $28.2 million above FY 2020, as well as $182 million for NOAA Climate Research, $12.5 million above FY 2020.
Language to promote clean energy transmission from the Interregional Transmission Planning Improvement Act
In addition, the New Mexico delegation's Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) provisions for Army Corps of Engineers water projects nationwide:

San Juan-Chama Project, Abiquiu Dam, New Mexico: Would remove the 200,000-acre-foot storage limitation at Abiquiu Reservoir and allow for additional storage of either San-Juan Chama project or Rio Grande basin water if the entity requesting the storage acquires the necessary property interests to accommodate the storage. This provides immediate relief forother pending water construction projects and will provide greater flexibility for New Mexico as it plans for the future during a time of changing water supply.
Middle Rio Grande Flood Protection: Reauthorizes the $310,684,000 Middle Rio Grande Flood Protection (Bernalillo to Belen) project to keep surrounding communities safe from major flooding events.
Rio Grande, Environmental Management Program: Extends the authorization of the $26,151,000 Rio Grande, Environmental Management Program Reauthorization to 2029, which allows for cooperative regional restoration projects for bosque and other important habitat. This project helps protect key habitat and wildlife to reduce the need for endangered species listings and helps recharge groundwater.
Tribal Partnership Program: Increases the per-project authorization level for the Corps' Tribal Partnership Program by an additional $6 million, for a total of $18.5 million, a program which has helped fund several flood control and environmental restoration projects in partnership with Tribal Governments in New Mexico.
Project Consultation: Requires the Corps to update its policies on environmental justice considerations and directs the Corps to promote meaningful involvement with minority communities, economically disadvantaged communities, and Indian Tribes in carrying out water resources development projects.

Source