Rep. Calvert Votes to Fund Key Priorities
Press Release
Today, Congressman Ken Calvert (CA-42) voted along with a bipartisan majority (316 to 113) to approve the Fiscal Year 2016 Omnibus Appropriations Act. The bill funds the federal discretionary budget for the remainder of the fiscal year. Rep. Calvert serves as the Chairman of the Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee.
"The funding priorities the House approved today will curb the Obama administration's dangerous bureaucracy while investing in programs that are essential to American families," said Rep. Calvert. "I've worked hard to protect our economy from the regulatory overreach at the EPA and in this bill we hold the EPA staffing to its lowest level since 1989. The funding the Appropriations Committee has provided for our military, veterans and for critical infrastructure investments is a significant achievement."
The bill also lifts the 40-year-old ban on U.S. oil exports. According to studies, lifting the ban could create approximately one million jobs in the U.S. and add $170 billion annually to our GDP.
"Lifting the oil export ban is a big win for American consumers, workers, and our economy," said Rep. Calvert. "The U.S. continues to have significant resources that can help strengthen our economy and provide our allies with an alternative to their long-standing reliance on Russian or Middle Eastern energy resources."
KEY PROVISIONS
Defense
$613.9 million for four additional MQ-9 Reaper UAVs. March Air Reserve Base maintains a schoolhouse for training Reaper pilots and currently maintains a fleet of six Reapers.
$635 million for additional Afloat Forward Staging Base vessels, which are utilized for mine countermeasure helicopters, special operations forces and U.S. Marines. The vessels are built in San Diego, CA.
$1.5 billion for additional UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters for the Army National Guard. This is a priority for the California National Guard.
$27.2 million for SPS-48 Radars, which are used as the primary air search sensor for anti-aircraft warships.
$72.3 million for the mid-life retrofit of UC San Diego/Scripps' Auxiliary General Purpose Oceanographic Research (AGOR) vessel. The vessel is used for a variety of ocean-based research projects funded by the UC system, the U.S. military, and other partners.
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