In advance of this evening’s expected vote on a bipartisan agreement to fund the federal government through the end of the year, Rep. Greg Stanton said he will vote for the plan. The first-term congressman also said the President’s anticipated national emergency declaration is an unfortunate and dangerous precedent for our country.
“This bipartisan appropriations agreement is an example of what’s possible when both parties sit down and work together—it shows that we can get things done,” Stanton said. “The plan avoids another harmful shutdown, keeps the government working for Arizona’s families, and does more to strengthen and secure our border and ports of entry.”
Stanton criticized the President’s decision to declare a national emergency after failing for two years to get a Congress controlled by his own party to fund a border wall.
“Declarations like this must only be used for real national emergencies—not to make up for political failure—and should not be used as a work-around to the legislative process,” said Stanton. “This is the wrong way to govern, and the President is only creating a dangerous precedent for our country.”
The bipartisan appropriations bill provides critical funding aligned with Stanton’s priorities, including:
- Investing in Transportation and Housing – The legislation includes $17 billion in funding for new infrastructure and housing investments. These funding measures would have been cut or rejected entirely in earlier proposals.
- $2.6 billion for Federal Transit Administration New Starts
- $22.6 billion for Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers
- $3.4 billion for Community Development Block Grants
- Smart, Effective Border Security – The legislation provides funding to key Homeland Security initiatives.
- $564 million for inspection equipment at ports of entry
- $100 million for new border security technology
- $77 million for opioid detection equipment
- $415 million for enhanced medical support, transportation, food and clothing for migrants in detention—particularly children and families—as well as $30.5 million for family case management
?
- Building Safer Communities – The legislation includes more than $3 billion to help state and local law enforcement keep communities safe.
- $648 million for grant funding to address the opioid crisis
- $153 million for COPS grants to help local governments hire more police officers
- $178 million to help address sexual assault kit and DNA evidence backlogs
- Census Bureau Support – The legislation provides $3.8 billion—an increase of $1 billion—to ensure a fair and accurate 2020 Census count.
? - Protecting our Natural Resources – The legislation rejects deep cuts and eliminations of environmental protections.
- $8.8 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency
- $435 million for Land and Water Conservation Fund
?
- Sustaining U.S. Global Leadership – The legislation supports global leadership initiatives and rejects cuts and proposals to retreat inwards.
- $9.1 billion in security assistance funding to support American allies and partners
- $5.7 billion for President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief
?
- Support for the Arts – The legislation rejects elimination of critical arts funding.
- $310 million for National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities
-30-