WASHINGTON – Today, United States Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (CT-05) voted to pass two bipartisan appropriations packages, H.R. 1865 and H.R. 1158, which fund the federal government through fiscal year 2020. The two “minibuses” contain numerous victories for Congresswoman Hayes’ priorities, notably allocating $25 million to fund gun violence research for the first time in more than two decades, investing record high funding in critical education programs such as Head Start and Title I, and putting more than a billion dollars to help states combat the opioid crisis.
Without legislative action to authorize necessary operating expenses, the government was set to shut down on December 20th. A shutdown would have resulted in a freeze in military pay, critical health and safety programs across the country being halted, and billions of dollars in lost revenue from the economy. If signed into law, H.R. 1865 and H.R. 1158 would avoid that shutdown, while making much-needed investments in long-term priorities.
“One year ago, we witnessed the longest government shutdown in American history,” said Congresswoman Jahana Hayes. “This is not a game. When the government shut down, people in Connecticut suffered. I am glad we were able to avoid that, all while investing in key priorities for my district, such as funding gun violence research, aggressively addressing the opioid crisis, and investing in our nation’s education system. I am pleased Republicans and Democrats came together to make this happen, and strongly urge the president to sign both packages into law as soon as possible.”
Other Priorities of Rep. Hayes Included in the Funding Agreement:
HEALTH CARE: In addition to allocating $1.5 billion in grants for states to combat the opioid epidemic, the funding agreement provides for more than $40 billion in medical research and repeals the widely-disliked “Cadillac Tax”.
EDUCATION: The funding agreement contains increases the maximum Pell Grant, allocates more than a billion dollars to Minority Serving Institutions (MSI’s), and restores previously-cut Special Olympics funding.
HUNGER: The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition program are all fully funded under the agreement.
ENVIRONMENT: Funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) is increased by more than $50 million from fiscal year 2019 and the National Flood Insurance Program is reauthorized under the agreement. Both programs are critical to Connecticut.
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**To learn more of the domestic priorities and international assistance funded, click here
**To learn more about the national security priorities funded, click here
Rep. Jahana Hayes has been a public school teacher in Connecticut for more than 15 years and was recognized in 2016 as the National Teacher of the Year. Currently serving her first term in the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Hayes sits on the Committees on Education & Labor and Agriculture and proudly represents Connecticut’s 5th District.