Congressman Cohen Votes for Seven-Bill Appropriations Minibus

WASHINGTON - Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) tonight voted for a seven-bill 'minibus' that includes major increases in spending for SNAP, WIC, school nutrition programs, the Small Business Administration, consumer protection agencies, veterans affairs and veterans medical services, rental assistance, housing for the elderly and transit programs. It also includes funding for many of his highest priority community project requests:

The vote on passage was 219 to 208.

See a detailed summary of what is in measure here. It includes funding for the Labor Department; Health and Human Services; Education; Agriculture and Rural Development; the Food and Drug Administration; Energy and water development programs; financial services and general government; the Interior Department and environmental programs; military construction; Veterans Affairs; Transportation and Housing and Urban Development programs.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

'I was proud to vote to fund these critical programs, many vital to Tennessee's 9th Congressional District residents. In this bill, we are directly funding projects in the District and spending billions of dollars more than in the current budget year for children's nutrition programs, critical housing needs, transit programs and support for our veterans. This is a win for Memphis.'

Funding Increases for Tennessee's 9th District:

In Tennessee's 9th Congressional District, 24,000 youths and 153,000 adults are eligible to receive federally funded job training. House Democrats' appropriations bill provides $3.1 billion in WIOA funds for job training for disadvantaged youths and adults, and for assistance to dislocated workers, an 8.8 percent increase over 2021. This increase would provide $395,000 in additional WIOA funds for job training in the district. The additional funds support middle class and working families by helping youths and adults obtain good-paying jobs.

Additionally, the House Democrats' appropriations bill provides $36 billion in Title I funds, a 118 percent increase over 2021. This increase would provide $78.1 million in additional funding for schools in Tennessee's 9th District to support children at risk of failing out of school. An estimated 92,000 children benefited from federal Title I education funding in the District in 2021, including 33,000 children living in poverty, receiving monthly Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), or in foster care or delinquency.

Community Projects Funded in Tennessee's 9th District:

Among the approved community project requests included in the appropriations package is $3 million for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for improvements to Tom Lee Park along the Mississippi River waterfront, which is included in the Energy and Water appropriations bill.

Congressman Cohen secured $750,000 for the Memphis ReStart Initiative, a multi-faceted small business development program that includes leadership training for Black managers, entrepreneurs and business owners, and identifies opportunities for Black businesses to thrive. The program is led by the Black Business Association of Memphis and the funding was included in the Financial Services and General Government appropriations bill.

Congressman Cohen's requests for funding for the purchase of equipment for the Regional One Medical Center, at $1 million; for educational and job opportunities for residents of Orange Mound and Binghampton at Christian Brothers University, at $400,000; and for facilities and equipment for the Church Health Center, at $350,000, were all included in the Labor and Health and Human Services appropriations measure.

Congressman Cohen advocated for the Collins Chapel Connectional Hospital to provide the first respite/recuperative care center in the Mid-South for homeless individuals who are medically fragile, which received $1,080,000; the Historic Melrose Redevelopment Project to invest in the redevelopment of the Historic Melrose High School and the Orange Mound Community, which received $3 million; the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Memphis Home repair program for low income seniors, which received $1 million; and Sadie B's Kitchen at The Hospitality Hub to build a commercial kitchen in the shelter as well as provide two supplemental food trucks, which received $450,000. These projects were funded in the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development appropriations bill.

###

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.