WASHINGTON – Congress today approved an Omnibus Appropriations bill to fund federal government operations through Fiscal Year 2008.  In addition to $33.9 million for important projects in northern Michigan, the bill includes funding for domestic priorities such as veterans, education and health care.

“The President has grossly neglected domestic needs while spending more than $607 billion in Iraq,” Stupak said.  “In spite of the President’s misplaced budget priorities, Congressional Democrats were able to increase funding for top priorities such as veterans, education and health care, which are vitally important to millions of Americans right here at home.”

The bill passed by Congress includes funding that exceeds the President’s request for a number of important domestic programs.  Congress has provided an additional $3.7 billion for veterans’ health care to ensure that when soldiers return from Iraq and Afghanistan they receive the care they need and deserve.  In fact, this bill provides the largest single increase in veterans funding in the 77 year history of the Veterans Administration.

The bill also invests an extra $1.2 billion for health care programs such as rural health care and important medical research, and an additional $3 billion for education programs such as Head Start, special education and college student aid.  

“The local projects and domestic programs included in the bill are vital for northern Michigan,” Stupak said. “While the bill does not contain all of the fiscally responsible funding increases Democrats approved earlier this year, I am pleased that some of our domestic funding needs and several Michigan projects were included in the legislation.”

NORTHERN MICHIGAN PROJECTS BY SECTION:

Agriculture

·        Bovine Tuberculosis control in Michigan - $264,000

·        Cormorant control in Michigan - $149,000

Energy and Water

·        Asian Carp Barrier - $9,102,000

·        Petoskey Breakwater - $2,989,000

·        Soo Locks Replacement Lock Construction - $1,968,000

·        MTU-Nanostructured Materials for Hydrogen Fuel Storage - $1,250,000

·        Menominee Harbor Dredging - $935,000

·        Grand Marais Breakwater - $935,000

·        Great Lakes Navigational System Study - $787,000

·        Ontonagon Harbor dredging - $595,000

·        Negaunee Wastewater Infrastructure Assistance - $360,000

·        Marquette Harbor - $358,000

·        Keweenaw Waterway - $121,000

·        Au Sable River and Harbor Dredging - $98,000

·        Northwestern Michigan College, Harbor Renovation – named under the Continuing Authorities Program (Section 107, Navigation Program), but no amount specified

·        Ontonagon Channel Extension – named under the Continuing Authorities Program (Section 107, Navigation Program), but no amount specified

Interior and Environment

·        Kamehameha School Lands/Northern Great Lakes Forest Project - $2,000,000

·        Houghton Forestry Sciences Lab Mesocosm - $990,000

·        Keweenaw National Historical Park, Union Building renovation - $504,000

·        Keweenaw National Historical Park Advisory Commission - $200,000

Labor-Health and Human Services-Education

·        B.J. Stupak Olympic Scholarship - $953,000

·        Marquette General Hospital - $438,000

·        OSF Hospital, Escanaba - $369,000

·        Alpena Community College (rural communications initiative) - $248,000

·        Mercy Grayling Hospital - $121,000

Transportation-Treasury-Housing and Urban Development

·        First District Transit Buses and Bus Facilities - $4,020,000

·        Pellston Regional Airport - $600,000

·        Mackinac Island Landing Craft - $300,000

·        Wakefield Memorial Building - $150,000

Commerce-Justice-Science

·        Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exhibit - $1,786,000

·        Charlevoix Cheboygan Emmet Central Dispatch Authority - $531,100

·        U.P. Interoperable Communications Consortium - $446,500

·        Michigan Border Interoperability Communications Enhancement, Sault Ste. Marie - $223,250

·        Michigan Public Safety Communications System - $164,000

The bill also includes “soft earmarks” for northern Michigan.  While soft earmarks do not specify funding levels, they do instruct the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development office to look favorably on the requests for funding:

·        Arenac County Sheriff’s Office Jail Expansion

·        Ironwood Wastewater Infrastructure improvements

·        Munising Fire and Police Facility

·        Northern Lakes Economic Alliance

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS:

Stupak FDA Amendment

An amendment authored by Stupak was included in the bill barring the Food and Drug Administration from implementing its planned field reorganization.  FDA has proposed closing seven of its 13 field labs and five regional offices.

“The FDA’s ill-conceived reorganization plan puts the public health in jeopardy at a time when American consumers are increasingly concerned about the safety of their food supply,” Stupak said.  “Despite a thorough investigation by the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, which I chair, FDA has yet to justify the proposal from either a cost or safety standpoint.”

Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative

The bill includes a provision that would delay the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from implementing the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) for land and sea travel until June 2009.  It would withhold $75 million from DHS for the implementation of WHTI until the department reports to Congress on key issues such as the deployment of documentation equipment and the effectiveness of the proposed Pass Card.

“Time and again, the Department of Homeland Security has demonstrated it is not prepared to move forward with WHTI without harming cross-border travel,” Stupak said.  “Until these problems are worked out, DHS should not go forward with the program.”

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 NOTE: For details on specific projects, please contact Nick Choate at 202-225-4735 or nick.choate@mail.house.gov.