Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018

Floor Speech

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Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of my amendment to increase funding to the Community Services Block Grant program. I am proud to represent the 22nd District of New York, a once thriving hub of innovation and manufacturing. My district has suffered the fate of too many Rust Belt communities.

Against the backdrop of crushing taxes and soaring costs, it is harder than ever for my constituents to find good-paying jobs that match their skills. A tragic result of this lack of opportunity has been increasing poverty, especially among our most vulnerable populations.

In addition to supporting commonsense pro-growth policies in Congress to reduce regulations and encourage innovation, programs like the Community Services Block Grant play a vitally important role in fulfilling the unmet needs of our neighbors. CSBG funding directly supports programs aimed at reducing poverty and assisting low-income individuals, the homeless, and the elderly. It allows States and community action agencies in each of our districts the flexibility to improve living conditions, increase self- sufficiency, and foster strong family support systems.

In my district, the Mohawk Valley Community Action Agency in Utica has received more than $640,000 from the CSBG program, which they have used to support Head Start programming that promotes early childhood development, and the Home Energy Assistance Program, which helps seniors meet ever-rising energy costs in the very cold Northeast.

All told, the CSBG program accounts for more than $55 million in financial assistance to New York State funding, which touches the lives of more than 705,000 New Yorkers. This number includes more than 46,000 individuals with disabilities and more than 317,000 children in my district. Cuts to this program will have a disproportionate impact on some of the most at-risk and forgotten constituents in our district.

I am grateful that this committee has recognized the importance of this program, and I am especially thankful for Chairman Cole's leadership on this issue. The committee has expressed a willingness to work with me to ensure that the final appropriations bill worked out in conference includes robust funding for this CSBG program.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole).

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Mr. Chairman, because of Chairman Cole's great willingness to work with and help the truly needy people in our communities, I am going to be withdrawing my amendment this evening. I look forward to working with Chairman Cole as we move forward in this process, and I just want to say thank you.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time, and I withdraw my amendment.

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