July 20, 2022

Gallego Celebrates Wins for Arizonans and all Americans in FY 2023 Appropriations Bills

WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) issued the following statement today following passage of H.R. 8294, a spending package including six key FY 2023 Appropriations bills – Transportation and Housing and Urban Development, Agriculture and Rural Development, Energy and Water Development, Financial Services and General Government, Interior and Environment, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs:

"This year’s funding package reflects the Democratic majority’s commitment to support hardworking Arizonans and Americans," Rep. Gallego said. "As communities across our state economically recover from pandemic and deal with rising prices, this package is Congress stepping up to help. This package tackles these challenges head on with funding to address rising costs as well as the Southwest’s historic drought and the housing and homelessness crisis in Phoenix. I’m incredibly proud of the provisions I secured in this package, and I’m going to keep fighting for policies that put Arizona first."

This six-bill package contains many provisions which Rep. Gallego authored and fought for, including provisions to:

Fight Drought & Invest in Renewable Energy and Our Environment

  • $50 million in funding specified for implementing the Drought Contingency Plan in the Lower Basin, to create or conserve recurring CO River water.
  • $19 million for the Central Arizona Project, which is Arizona’s single largest resource for renewable water supplies.
  • $189.3 million for WaterSMART programs, an increase of $49.8 million above the FY2022 level, to assist western states and communities as they respond to the historic drought.
  • Language prohibiting the use of taxpayer funds to construct roads for private timber harvest in the Tongass National Forest
  • $4 billion for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, including $370 million for the weatherization of over 40,000 low-income households.
  • $6.43 billion for wildland fire management and $8 million for the Southwest Ecological Restoration Institute’s work in Arizona.

Improve Access to Health Care, Housing, and Safer Transportation Infrastructure

  • $3.6 billion for new housing options and assistance for over 1 million people at risk of or experiencing homelessness, a 10% increase from FY2022.
  • A 100% increase in funding for the Health Streets Program – now $55 million – to fund pedestrian safety efforts.
  • $3 billion for capital investments in expanding public transportation like the South Central Light Rail Extension project in Phoenix, a $764 million increase over FY2022.
  • A funding level of $200 million for Urban Indian Health, an increase of over $126 million over FY2022 levels.
  • $5.7 billion in funding for the Indian Health Service, an increase of over $1 billion over FY2022 levels.
  • Language improving urging VA to improve accessibility and usability of waitlist and performance metrics on its website for veterans seeking care at the VA.
  • $118.8 billion for Veterans Medical Care at the VA, a $21.8 billion increase over FY2022.
  • $2.7 billion for Veteran Homeless Assistance programs, a $531 million increase over FY2022.

Expand Nutrition Assistance

  • $28.6 billion for child nutrition programs like school meals and Summer EBT and $10 million for School Breakfast Program Expansion Grants, an increase of $4M over FY2022 levels.
  • Provision of SNAP benefits for 43.5 million people in SNAP-eligible families, including over 870,000 people in AZ
  • $6 million for Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) to give access to fresh fruits, vegetables, and more to over 141,000 Arizonans who participate in the program.
  • $419 million for food banks like St. Mary’s, a $19 million increase above FY2022.

H.R. 8294 also contains over $22 million that Rep. Gallego secured for local community projects benefiting residents of Arizona's 7th District, including:

  • $1,338,919 for the City of Glendale for the Glendale Community Centers Digital Equity Initiative
  • $1,963,927 for the City of Phoenix for the Phoenix Homelessness Support Initiative
  • $3,500,000 for the City of Tolleson for the Tolleson Pedestrian Bridge System
  • $750,000 for the Diocesan Council for the Society of St Vincent de Paul Diocese Phoenix to create a 100-Bed Transitional Community for People Experiencing Homelessness
  • $4,000,000 for the Greater Phoenix Urban League to replace the Greater Phoenix Urban League Building
  • $2,904,213 for Native American Connections for the Osborn Pointe Homes Housing First Project
  • $203,124 for the Rehoboth Community Development Corporation for their Training Initiative to Mentor Entrepreneurs (TIME).
  • $4,000,000 for St. Mary’s Food Bank to renovate the St. Mary’s Food Bank Community Services Center.
  • $2,883,950 for the Tanner Community Development Corporation to create tiny homes for homeless veterans.
  • $872,520 for the Town of Guadalupe to rehabilitate the Town’s wastewater collection system.

A full summary of the spending provisions in H.R. 8294 can be found here. You can read more about the Rep. Gallego’s FY2023 Community Projects, 10 of which were funded in H.R. 8294, here.

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Rep. Ruben Gallego is a Marine Corps combat veteran who served in Iraq. He serves on the House Armed Services Committee, the House Natural Resources Committee, and the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.