Appropriations Committee Approves Fiscal Year 2020 Interior-Environment Funding Bill

Statement

The House Appropriations Committee today approved the fiscal year 2020 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies bill on a vote of 30 to 21. The legislation includes funding for programs within the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, and other related agencies, including the Indian Health Service.

In total, the bill includes $37.28 billion, an increase of $1.73 billion over the 2019 enacted level and $7.24 billion over the President's 2020 request. There is also an additional $2.25 billion of funding provided under the fire suppression cap adjustment.

"This Interior-Environment funding bill rejects cuts proposed by the Trump administration that would have put the interests of polluters over people," said House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Chair Betty McCollum. "Instead, our $37.3 billion funding bill prioritizes investments that keep our communities safe and healthy, help us research, combat, and adapt to climate change, and honor our federal trust and treaty responsibilities to our Native American brothers and sisters. This bill is the product of hard work and collaboration, with input from Indian tribes, agency officials, Members of Congress, and the public. Funding in this bill will translate to cleaner and safer drinking water and cleaner air in communities across the country. Increases in funding for science and research will allow us to understand and address the impacts of climate change on our natural and cultural resources, ecosystems, and human health. We are protecting and preserving our landscapes and biodiversity by robustly funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Endangered Species Act. Democrats are committed to taking on the environmental challenges facing our nation and the planet in a manner that protects the American people today and for the next generation."

"The Committee continues our work for the people with the Fiscal Year 2020 Interior and Environment Appropriations bill, which would make sound investments to protect the health and safety of Americans, preserve our rich cultural heritage, and conserve our environment for future generations. This bill marks a serious investment in these priorities, with much-needed increases after years of inadequate funding," said House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey. "The bill would fully fund the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and provide increases to address lead and other contaminants in drinking water. It would increase funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Heritage Partnership Program -- programs that strengthen our country by enabling Americans of all ages to study the arts, culture, and history of our nation. And, recognizing that climate change is the greatest environmental crisis facing humanity, the bill would make critical investments in climate change science, increase production of renewable energy on public lands, enhance resilience to disasters, and begin to fulfill our trust and treaty obligations to Native Americans. The bill would honor our commitment to protect our families, care for our planet, and leave our country healthier than we found it."

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