Supports SNAP, rebuilds infrastructure, combats gun violence, and prohibits President Trump from diverting funds from military construction projects to build his unnecessary border wall
**Video of his speech is available here**
WASHINGTON, DC — On the House Floor today, Rules Committee Chairman James P. McGovern (D-MA) managed the rule for H.R. 3055, the second package of fiscal year 2020 appropriations bills. It includes five spending bills: Commerce-Justice-Science, Agriculture-Rural Development-FDA, Interior-Environment, Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development. A division-by-division breakdown of this legislation is available here.
Excerpts from McGovern’s speech are included below and video of his full remarks is available here:
“Madam Speaker, this appropriations process represents a clean break from the way Republicans ran this place. They furthered an agenda that was like Robin Hood in reverse – giving to the rich by stealing from the poor. This Democratic Majority has a radical idea that the People’s House should instead actually work for the people. Not the wealthy and the well-connected but all Americans. And you can see these values in this underlying appropriations measure.
“We support SNAP, our nation’s premiere anti-hunger program, by providing both stable funding and investments in the SNAP reserve fund.This will give a helping hand to many of the 40 million Americans who are struggling to put food on the table in America today. That includes working families, veterans, seniors, and the disabled…
“This bill also provides major funding to help stem the tide of opioid abuse that is ravaging communities across the country…
“And we’re not waiting around for this administration’s long-delayed transportation plan…We have an infrastructure emergency in our country today. I’ve got bridges in my district that are old enough to qualify for Medicare! Others are older than some states. It’s the same story all across the country… H.R. 3055 would provide real funding now to rebuild crumbling infrastructure.
“This bill also helps combat the gun violence epidemic by increasing resources for programs that help reduce crime. That includes things like fully funding the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System, making schools safer, and investing in mentoring programs for at-risk youths… This Majority isn’t afraid to stand up to the NRA and protect the people we represent. We know the will of the American people is stronger than the might of the gun lobby.
“There is also language in this bill that prohibits President Trump from diverting funds from military construction projects to build his unnecessary border wall. This is a wall, by the way, that the president claimed time and again Mexico would pay for. Now he’s using a bait and switch to force taxpayers to foot the bill…
“We are delivering on our promise to invest in the things that matter to people… These are the kinds of things our constituents want us to address. So I urge all my colleagues to show the American people that we are listening by voting for this rule. And let’s keep bringing forward appropriations measures that truly represent the will of the people.”
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