Letter to the Hon. James Inhofe, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, the Hon. Jack Reed, Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, the Hon. Adam Smith, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and the Hon. Mac Thornberry, Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee - With federal funding for Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor at risk, Gillibrand, Schumer, Tonko, Higgins, Morelle, Delgado push to extend canalway's funding cap in must-pass national defense bill

Letter

Dear Chairman Inhofe and Smith and Ranking Member Reed and Thornberry:

We write to express our strong support for the provision titled Section 1099U related to funding for the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor in the House-passed (H.R. 2500) Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (FY 2020 NDAA). This provision, which increases the statutory cap amount of funding for this important national treasure, will help local communities in New York along the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor continue to thrive and preserve history.

In order for it to continue receiving its annual appropriations, the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor needs its statutory funding cap raised this year. In the recent Lands Package that was signed into law most of the areas with expiring caps had their caps raised, but unfortunately the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor was inadvertently left out of the cap extension. As you begin conference negotiations to reconcile the House and Senate-passed NDAAs, we request that you insist on including the House's provision in the final conference bill to correct this oversight.

SEC. 1099U. FUNDING LIMITATION FOR THE ERIE CANALWAY NATIONAL HERITAGE CORRIDOR.

Section 810(a)(1) of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Act (Public Law 106--554; 114 Stat. 2763A--303) is amended, in the second sentence, by striking "$12,000,000" and inserting "$14,000,000".

As you prepare the Conference Report, we urge you to include this important provision to help protect this nationally significant piece of history. We thank you for your leadership, and appreciate your consideration of our requests.