Today, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree joined her House colleagues in voting for a $1.17 trillion bipartisan spending bill which will fund the government through September 2017. In House negotiations, Pingree strongly advocated for several key programs to be funded in the final bill. Some of the programs that are of particular importance to Maine include:
$3 billion for Community Development Block Grants (CBDG). Maine received $16 million in CDBG grants last year to support job creation, community development, and infrastructure improvements.
An additional $150 million for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration grants to address opioid and heroin abuse nationwide. This along with $500 million for 21st Century Cures to stem drug abuse and spur drug innovation which will help many Maine families struggling with the opioid crisis.
$2 million in additional funding for for The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and National Endowment for Humanities (NEH) grants. These grants have supported over 100 programs in Maine in the past five years.
$15 million for the Value Added Producer Grant Program, which is a $4.25 million increase from FY16. VAPG provides funding to farmers who want to process or market new products. In 2015 & 2016, 13 Maine farmers were awarded a total of $1.6 million for VAPG projects.
Full funding for an additional DDG-51 ship to be built at Bath Iron Works.
$2 billion in additional National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding, which supports the development of treatments and cures for patients and related research at numerous locations across the state of Maine including the University of New England, Maine Medical Center Research Institute, and Jackson Lab.
The omnibus spending bill also allows the Trump Administration to raise the cap on H-2B visas, up to 70,000 additional visas for this fiscal year. The program is critical for employers in Maine who need to fill their seasonal hospitality positions each year.
Congresswoman Pingree said of the Omnibus Spending Bill:
“Although President Trump’s 2018 budget plan and his threat of a September shutdown have created uncertainty about the programs and funding Mainers rely on, I am grateful that we have passed a comprehensive budget deal to avoid a shutdown and provide critical funding through September. From funding for Maine farmers to remain competitive, to money for innovative health care research, this omnibus bill puts our state and nation on a solid track through the fall.”
