U.S. House Makes Progress on FY 2023 Appropriations Bills
The U.S. House of Representatives last week passed a package of six fiscal year 2023 appropriations bills by a 220 to 207 vote. The bills, which represent half of the twelve annual FY 23 appropriations bills, included: the Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies bill (THUD); the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies bill; the Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies bill (E&W); the Financial Services and General Government bill (FSGG); the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies bill; and the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies funding bill (MilCon-VA). While NEMWI has an updated FY 23 Appropriations Tracker focusing on several key accounts that can be viewed here, below are the overall funding levels for each bill:
The FY 23 THUD bill includes $90.9 billion in funding, an increase of $9.9 billion – more than 12 percent – above FY 22. This includes an increase of $8.9 billion for the Department of Housing and Urban Development and $833 million for the Department of Transportation.
The FY 23 Agriculture bill includes $27.2 billion in funding – a critical increase of $2.075 billion, 8 percent– above FY 22.
The FY 23 E&W bill includes $56.275 billion in funding, an increase of $3.4 billion above FY 22.
The FY 23 FSGG bill includes $29.8 billion in funding, an increase of $4.3 billion – 17 percent – above FY 22.
The FY 23 Interior and Environment bill includes $44.8 billion in funding, an increase of $6.8 billion – 18 percent – above FY 22.
The FY MilCon-VA bill includes $314.1 billion in funding, an increase of $29.5 billion – more than 10 percent – above FY 22.
NEMWI will continue to provide updates as the FY 2023 appropriations cycle continues to move forward.
Congress Anticipates the Passage of a $52 Billion CHIPS Bill on Semiconductors After the COMPETEs Act Fails in Conference Committee
The U.S. Senate on July 19 voted to advance a slimmed down version of the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA) that focuses on semiconductor chips. The CHIPS (Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors for America Act) bill would solely focus on bolstering U.S. manufacturing of semiconductor chips, allocating approximately $50 billion in subsidies to the industry. The U.S. Senate will be holding another procedural vote tonight, and can vote on the bill as soon as tomorrow. Last Tuesday, in a Senate vote of 64-34, the bill cleared a key procedural hurdle, but it still will have to be taken up in the U.S. House and then signed by President Biden to become law.
The earlier Senate bill, USICA, allocated $250 billion to semiconductors and American research and development. The House passed a similar bill with provisions on climate change and immigration. While a Senate-House conference committee has been working to resolve differences between the Senate and House versions of the larger bill, after two months the conference committee has failed to reconcile the two bills aimed at improving U.S. competition with China. With midterms around the corner and soaring inflation, lawmakers are eager to pass the slimmed down bill before the August recess.
Progressive Democrats are voicing concerns over the bill’s "corporate handout" to the CHIP industry and what they regard as a lack of guardrails. Supporters of the bill stress the national security imperative of the bill and argue that there are sufficient guardrails.
The Chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, Senator Maria Cantwell, stressed the crucial need for the bill in remarks on the Senate floor. Senator Cantwell stated “We have a chip shortage today, and it’s costing our economy and … increasing inflation. We know that there is going to be a chip demand that is going to be three-fold from where we are today in the very near future. If we don’t start building here, we’re not going to catch up,”
U.S. House Panel Holds Hearing on Great Lakes Restoration Semipostal Stamp Act
The U.S. House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Ocean, and Wildlife held a hearing last week examining various different bills. Included among these bills was H.R. 7975, the Great Lakes Restoration Semipostal Stamp, which directs the U.S. Postal Service to issue a semipostal stamp (a stamp sold at a premium to raise funds for a cause of national public interest) to contribute to funding operations supported by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI).
The bill, which is sponsored by Great Lakes Task Force (GLTF) Member Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), has strong bipartisan support, with 36 additional cosponsors. Other GLTF Members cosponsoring the bill include: Representatives Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Bill Huizenga (R-MI), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), David Joyce (R-OH), Jack Bergman (R-MI), Peter Meijer (R-MI), John Moolenaar (R-MI), Fred Upton (R-MI), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Andy Levin (D-MI), Tim Ryan (D-OH), Shontel Brown (D-OH), Antony Gonzales (R-OH), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Haley Stevens (D-MI), Chris Jacobs (R-NY), Frank Marvin (D-IN), Mike Kelly (R-PA), Dan Kildee (D-MI), Brenda Lawrence (D-MI), Ron Kind (D-WI), and Gwen Moore (D-WI).
Testifying before the Subcommittee in support of the bill was Joe Robison, the Southeastern Regional Supervisor - Wildlife Division, at the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Mr. Robinson cited the immense impacts that the GLRI has had on the Great Lakes region and the benefits of creating an additional stream of revenue for the program.
To watch a recording of the hearing or view Mr. Robinson’s testimony, please visit here. For further information on H.R. 7975 and similar legislation, check out NEMWI’s Great Lakes and Water Legislative Tracker which can be found here.
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