Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2019

Floor Speech

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Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of this funding package today. I am pleased that, within the Interior Subcommittee's jurisdiction, the bill provides more than $2 billion for recovery from devastating natural disasters.

This includes $849 million to rebuild drinking water and waste treatment systems to a state of resiliency against future storms, and $50 million for coastal resiliency projects to reduce flooding and erosion caused by sea level rise and climate change.

This bill provides funds to repair Federal facilities that were destroyed or damaged, like the Hawaii Volcanoes Observatory, funds for Historic Preservation grants to repair culturally significant sites and properties, and funds to clean up hazardous and solid waste.

A critical provision in this bill provides $720 million to fully repay the U.S. Forest Service for funds it was forced to borrow in the last fiscal year to cover the cost of wildland fire suppression.

An additional $134 million will help the Forest Service to address damage to national forests and to treat hazardous fuel loads.

This emergency funding in this bill will help Americans who are struggling to restore their lives to return to their homes after devastating fires and hurricanes of last year.

Communities in all of our States and our territories deserve Federal support as they recover from natural disasters. Democrats are proud, under the leadership of Chair Lowey, to be bringing this bill to the floor to help those who have suffered from these natural disasters to begin to rebuild and heal their lives.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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