WASHINGTON - House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita M. Lowey today delivered the following remarks on the House Floor on, a national security minibus of Fiscal Year 2020 appropriations bills:
This national security appropriations minibus combines four bills:
* Defense
* Commerce-Justice-Science
* Financial Services and General Government, and
* Homeland Security.
I would like to highlight a few key successes that our Cardinals have secured:
* $7.6 billion - $1.4 billion more than President Trump proposed - to ensure a fair and accurate 2020 Census
* $425 million for election security grants to states, a key priority for Democrats for a program that was not funded last year
* Robust funding for initiatives to improve the quality of life of our women and men in uniform
* A 3.1 percent pay raise for federal civilian employees
Unfortunately, the President and Senate Republicans insisted on funding a wasteful border wall while simultaneously blocking Democratic policies that would make our immigration system more humane.
However, I am pleased that we have established an Immigration Detention Ombudsman, tasked with protecting the rights of individuals in DHS custody.
M. Speaker, this is not the bill I would have written on my own - but I am proud that we have been able to do so much good in this political environment.
I urge support.
Source: U.S. Department of HCA
