Espaillat Secures Key Funding Increases, Policy Wins in House Funding Bills

Press Release

Today, Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) announced a series of key policy and funding wins. Key among them was an amendment passed in the House of Representatives that would prohibit the Office of Refugee Resettlement and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from contracting with any for-profit contractor for the purposes of housing unaccompanied migrant children. Over the past few years, the Trump Administration has separated numerous families and is required to house children in adequate child-care facilities. However, many private entities have been able to profit off of this egregious practice, creating a perverse incentive to continue the cruel separation of immigrant families.

"I am glad we included my critical amendment to prohibit the Office of Refugee Resettlement from contracting with a for-profit contractor to house unaccompanied alien children. I have spent more time than I ever thought these past three and a half years reunifying children and families separated at the southern border at the hands of this administration. Our broken immigration system should not enrich those enabled by the least compassionate," said Rep. Espaillat in remarks during debate on his amendment in the House.

Espaillat also secured passage of an amendment that supports greater minority patient outreach and minority candidate inclusion by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in clinical trial participation for any vaccine or therapeutics to treat COVID-19. Given the disparate toll the COVID-19 pandemic has taken on communities of color, particularly in New York City, this amendment is key to ensuring those same communities can participate in efforts to develop and have access to an eventual vaccine that would hopefully put an end to the crisis.

Finally, the House passed an Espaillat amendment that would provide for greater support to local education agencies for English Language Acquisition. Especially now, as thousands of students prepare for a new form of remote learning, it is critical that schools have the resources to ensure English learners are not left behind.

Rep. Espaillat also joined colleagues in promoting two other key amendments, which passed in the House, that respond to recent events in Washington, D.C., Portland, Ore., and elsewhere. Specifically, those amendments would prohibit the U.S. military and federal law enforcement from using their resources to violate First Amendment rights to free speech and assembly. The policy comes in response to egregious Trump Administration actions deploying federal forces to violently disperse Black Lives Matter demonstrations around the country.

In addition to these amendments, the recent appropriations packages passed in the House of Representatives include a number of requests that Rep. Espaillat had advocated for:

Full funding for the Capital Investment Grants program, which will provide the federal portion of funding for the Second Avenue Subway Phase II Extension project, as well as a $5 billion infusion of emergency funds for the program intended to spur infrastructure investment as a way to stimulate recovery from the COVID-19-induced recession.

An increase in the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) by nearly $15 million, bringing that project to nearly $75 million total, to combat drug trafficking, promote social justice, and increase public safety and security in the region. Earlier this month, Espaillat secured passage of his Caribbean Basin Security Initiative Authorization Act in committee, which would codify this increase in law and expand activities to promoting climate resiliency.

$48 million to help Hispanic-serving colleges and universities expand their science, technology, engineering and math programs. Espaillat secured an amendment intended to indicate that the program should receive an additional $10 million.

$500 million for international climate financing through the Green Climate Fund, reestablishing U.S. global leadership on combating climate change.

Full funding for the Farmers Market Nutrition Program for a total of $18.5 billion, which helps those with WIC program nutrition assistance purchase fresh produce from locally sourced farmers markets.

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