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Congresswoman Angie Craig Delivers for Minnesota’s Second District in House Appropriations Package

July 31, 2020
Press Release

Today, the House passed annual funding legislation that includes key provisions Rep. Craig urged leadership to incorporate on behalf of the people of Minnesota's Second District.

"I am proud to work across the aisle with anyone in Congress who will sit down and work on solutions to the issues hard-working Minnesotans face every day," said Rep. Craig. "Today's bill provides much-needed funding for medical research, special education and infrastructure – including rural broadband."

The package includes the following priorities carried by Rep. Craig:

  • An amendment that would prohibit the DOJ from using taxpayer funds in its lawsuit to repeal the ACA
  • Increased IDEA funding by $200 million
  • Expanded grants for career and technical education
  • $47B for the National Institutes of Health, including $5B in emergency funding
  • $512M for cancer research through the Defense Health Agency
  • $5.65B for the community health centers program
  • Support for school-based health centers with $10M in additional funding
  • Expanding HIV/AIDS treatment to the uninsured
  • A new insulin affordability study and its effects on diabetes complications
  • Encouragement for the use of cost-saving biosimilars in Medicare
  • $1 billion for National Infrastructure Investments (TIGER/BUILD)
  • 25.7B for tenant-based rental assistance, including $65M for homeless Veterans

The package voted on today (H.R. 7617) includes $1.3 trillion in discretionary funding and consists of six FY 2021 appropriations bills: Defense, Commerce-Justice-Science, Energy and Water Development, Financial Services and General Government, Labor-HHS-Education, and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development.

Last week, the House passed a funding package (H.R.7608) that contained a number of Rep. Craig priorities including:

  • Funding for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program
  • $20M for the Rural Energy for America Program
  • Protections for SNAP benefits for 4 million at-risk Americans
  • $10M to study farmers and ranchers' mental health
  • $1.055 billion for rural broadband expansion, including $990 million for the ReConnect program, an increase of $435 million or 78%.
  • Increased funding for the VA's Rural Health Resource Centers aimed to meet veterans in their communities, including the $1.5 million increase added by Rep. Craig's amendment.
  • New reporting on steps being taken to improve mental health care for veterans including efforts to fill provider positions.
  • Innovative solutions to intervene early with at-risk veterans by providing their families with support and tools.

Rep. Craig has written or cosponsored more than 500 bills to date, more than 80% of which are bipartisan.