Haiti Development, Accountability, and Institutional Transparency Initiative Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. PINGREE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support the Fiscal Year 2022 omnibus bill.

I want to thank Chair DeLauro for her leadership and perseverance in bringing this omnibus to the finish line. It has been hard fought and I can confidently say that the American people will benefit from the investments made in this bill.

Thank you, Ranking Member Joyce, for your collaboration and partnership through this process. And thank you, Ranking Member Granger.

For fiscal year 2022, the Interior and Environment division provides $38 billion.

This is an increase of almost $2 billion over last year's enacted level, which is a 5 percent increase.

This bill makes long-overdue investments to care for our planet, fight the climate emergency, and meet our trust obligations to tribal nations.

The bill prioritizes the protection and preservation of our landscapes and biodiversity, providing $14.4 billion for the Department of the Interior.

It supports the administration's initiatives on climate change and affirms the role of science as the foundation for decision making.

The bill provides necessary resources to deal with the threat of wildfires in the West, providing $5.5 billion for Wildland Fire Management and it invests in programs to improve the health of our forests and make them more resilient.

The bill also includes major investments to clean up pollution and protect human health and the environment. It invests heavily in environmental justice, and I am proud that we are providing an unprecedented $100 million for these efforts, which is a nearly 700 percent increase.

Additionally, the bill provides $3.3 billion for grant programs to make drinking water and sewer system improvements, remove lead from our taps, improve air quality, and strengthen our nation's recycling infrastructure.

These grants have profound impacts on public health and the environment, but they also are economic drivers that create good paying American jobs.

This bill supports the Arts and Humanities by providing the largest increase in twelve years to the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

And finally, this bill supports Native American families by investing in a strong and resilient Indian Country, including through education and health care programs.

The investments in this bill will improve the lives of Americans and I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

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