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HYDE-SMITH VOTES FOR STOPGAP MEASURE
Bill Adds $20 Million to Address Jackson Water Crisis, Buys Time for Flood Insurance Program
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), who serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee, today voted for a stopgap appropriations measure to fund federal operations through Dec. 16.
Senate approval of HR.6833 means avoiding a partial government shutdown while also taking action on issues of importance to Mississippi, including the crisis caused by the failure of water infrastructure in Jackson.
“Another continuing resolution once again signals that Congress has not done its duty to complete appropriations bills by October 1st. This is not a perfect vehicle but it will work to ensure no disruptions to our national defense and programs on which Americans rely,” Hyde-Smith said.
“I am pleased my fellow appropriators agreed to provide more resources to correct the serious shortfalls with Jackson’s water and wastewater infrastructure,” the Senator said. “The $20 million in this legislation will allow the Army Corps of Engineers to continue work on giving Jackson’s residents more reliable water and wastewater services.”
Earlier this month, Hyde-Smith asked the Biden administration to support money in the stopgap bill for Jackson. The resulting $20 million now in the bill builds on $5.0 million in FY2022 Army Corps’ Section 219 program funding for Jackson water infrastructure, in addition to $4.0 million Hyde-Smith secured for the city in EPA drinking water state revolving funds in the FY2022 Interior Appropriations Bill.
The Senate-passed stopgap measure also provides $2 billion in Community Development Block Grant Program Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) grants to help cities, counties, and states recover from presidentially-declared disasters that occurred in 2021 and 2022.
“It’s important to remember that a major disaster was declared after the City of Jackson experienced a similar water crisis in February and March of 2021 due to severe winter storms. Therefore the State of Mississippi should be eligible for these CDBG-DR funds, in addition to the $20 million provided through the Corps of Engineers Section 219 program,” Hyde-Smith said.
The House of Representatives will next consider the legislation, which also:
· Extends expiring National Flood Insurance Program authorization through Dec. 16, 2022, giving Congress more time to consider a more long-term extension.
· Allows FEMA to adjust expenditures from the Disaster Relief Fund.
· Increases Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program funding to assist individuals and families with the rising energy costs.
· Provides additional funding to help Ukraine defend itself from Russian invaders, while adhering to the 1-for-1 drawdown-to-backfill ratio that Republicans have insisted on to ensure U.S. readiness is not compromised. In addition to funding increases for production of critical munitions, the measure also includes additional oversight on the Ukraine-related expenditures.
· Rejects the energy permitting scheme hatched during the Democrats’ big-spending, mislabeled “Inflation Reduction’ law.
The HR.6833 requires House of Representatives approval before it can be signed into law.MageeNews.com is an online news source serving Simpson and surrounding counties as well as the State of Mississippi.