Schiff Applauds Passage of Appropriations Bill to Fund Major Priorities
Funding Bill Includes Investment in Housing Affordability, Space Exploration, Vaccination Awareness and Gun Violence Prevention
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) released a statement in response to the passage of an appropriations bill with funding for space exploration, vaccine awareness, housing affordability and gun violence research and prevention:
“The homelessness crisis is affecting cities across the nation, and I am very pleased that the funding bill includes an additional 2 billion dollars for rental assistance programs,” said Rep. Adam Schiff. “The Administration’s proposed cuts to programs meant to help the homeless would have further exacerbated the problem and we not only resisted such punitive cuts but augmented our efforts to provide affordable housing.“
“The budget bills also advance scientific research, and expand opportunities to gain a better understanding of our planet and the universe beyond it, and to make life better and safer for all who inhabit it. I am grateful that the House prioritized critical investments today which will keep us on track to launch a spacecraft into the orbit of and one day touch down on Europa, increase awareness of the safety and effectiveness of vaccines and combat vaccine misinformation, and provide historic levels of funding for gun violence research and prevention.”
Highlights of the appropriations bill include funding for the following Schiff priorities:
- Increasing funding for rental assistance programs that expand access to affordable housing by more than $2 billion, including funding to increase affordable housing for homeless veterans and people with AIDS
- Providing funding at the requested amount for the Europa Clipper Mission, to launch a spacecraft into the orbit of Jupiter’s moon Europa, plus $38 million for “Icy Satellites Surface Technology,” to study landing on the surface of an icy planet
- Directing the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to continue increasing awareness and knowledge of the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, combating misinformation about vaccines, and disseminating scientific and evidence-based vaccine-related information and urging the Secretary of Health and Human Services to ensure that National Vaccine Program Office activities continue without interruption
- Providing $12.5 million each to the CDC and National Institutes of Health to research gun violence and prevention
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