Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Chair of the House Appropriations Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, today welcomed President Biden’s FY 2022 budget request as a statement of their shared funding priorities on addressing the climate crisis, supporting tribal communities, investing in the nation’s cultural institutions, preserving our forests, waters, and lands, and rebuilding beleaguered federal agencies after four years of severe cuts. 

“President Biden’s budget blueprint makes clear that the new government is committed to making long-overdue investments to preserve our planet and fight the climate crisis. After four years of budget proposals with massive funding cuts for the Environmental Protection Agency and other critical agencies, President Biden’s proposed increases are a breath of fresh air,” said Chairwoman Pingree. “As Chair of the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, I look forward to working with the Biden administration to craft a budget that will fight the climate crisis, conserve our irreplaceable natural resources, better support Native American tribes, rebuild workforce capacity within critical federal agencies, and preserve our arts and cultural institutions far into the future.”

“As an unwavering advocate for our small farms and producers, I am extremely encouraged to see the President’s budget proposal seek to expand the capacity of small and regional meat processing and call for additional support for the local agriculture marketing program to bolster local supply chains,” said Pingree, an organic farmer who serves on the House Agriculture Committee as well as the House Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee. “I am encouraged that the President has proposed increased funding for USDA’s Climate Hubs in line with my Agriculture Resilience Act, which I plan to reintroduce in the coming weeks.”

Last month, Pingree introduced the bipartisan Strengthening Local Processing Act to support small meat and poultry processors who have been especially hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Pingree led the charge to include the Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP) in the 2018 Farm Bill, based on her bipartisan Local FARMS Act of 2017. Pingree is also the author of the Agriculture Resilience Act, which seeks to achieve net zero emissions from the agriculture sector by 2040.

A member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, Pingree said, “As a proud advocate for Bath Iron Works and the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, I was particularly pleased that the President’s budget proposal prioritized Navy shipbuilding as a critical component of our national security. I look forward to working with the President to ensure continued investments in the Navy fleet as well as essential upgrades to our shipyard infrastructure. I am grateful that his budget proposal emphasizes care for our nation’s veterans, including improved services for survivors of military sexual trauma (MST).”

Maine’s 1st District Congresswoman noted that the President’s budget request includes numerous new initiatives and funding increases that would benefit her constituents, such as investments in:

·      Quality and accessible education, including early childhood education supports and increased Pell grants

·      Public health, including expanded access to substance use and mental health treatment

·      Affordable housing 

·      Environmental clean-up, including PFAS chemical research

·      Zero emission transportation, along with rail and air safety improvements 

·      Clean energy research and development, including supports for energy efficient construction

·      Reforms for our asylum and refugee system 

·      Increased broadband access

·      Made-in-America manufacturing 

·      Veteran suicide prevention programs

Pingree has served on the House Appropriations Committee for the past seven years and was elected Chair of the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee in January 2021. As Chair, she oversees discretionary spending for the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, US Forest Service, and several agencies related to the arts and humanities.

The House Appropriations Committee is comprised of 33 Democrats and 26 Republicans and organized into 12 subcommittees in the 117th Congress. The Committee is led by Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.). Pingree, along with her fellow Appropriations subcommittee chairs, are tasked with authoring 12 annual spending bills for consideration by the full committee.