WASHINGTON, DC – After months of work, Congress has reached agreement on a $1.3 trillion Fiscal Year 2018 Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations bill, also known as the “Omnibus,” that includes many important provisions for Rhode Island families. 

U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Ranking Member of the panel’s Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Subcommittee, played an important role in crafting key pieces of the omnibus to help strengthen the economy, create jobs, and make critical investments in America’s future.  The THUD section of the bill authored by Reed and THUD Chairman Susan Collins (R-ME) provides a total of $70.3 billion for fiscal year 2018, $12.649 billion more than in fiscal year 2017, for programs that build the U.S. transportation network, support housing programs, and spur economic development.  As a result, Rhode Island will receive over $241 million in highway grants and over $40 million in transit grants.  For more information on Senator Reed’s work on the THUD bill, please click here.

“This bill is a negotiated product, but it provides essential resources to strengthen our economy and national defense.  It makes critical investments in education, housing, public safety, and cutting-edge research and development as well as new job-training resources to help prepare workers for the jobs of today and tomorrow and grow the middle-class.  It includes an additional $3.3 billion to help fight the opioid epidemic and boosts Pell Grants to help more working families pay for college.  We were also able to include new federal funds for transportation and community development projects in Rhode Island that will help keep our economy moving forward.  And in an effort to help states safeguard our elections we provided $380 million to help secure U.S. voting systems from cyberattacks,” said Reed. 

Reed worked throughout the Appropriations Committee process to champion several key measures in the bill, including:

  • $1.5 billion for the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant, a $1 billion increase from fiscal year 2017.
  • $22.5  billion for Pell Grants to increase the maximum award at $6,095 for the 2018-2019 school year.
  • $3.3 billion for Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), an increase of $300 million from fiscal year 2017. 
  • $3.64 billion for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), a $250 million increase
  • $37.1 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an increase of $3 billion over the previous year. 
  • $5.22 billion for Child Care Development Block Grants, an increase of $2.37 billion from fiscal year 2017.
  • A 2.4% pay raise for troops.
  • $3.3 billion to help combat the opioid crisis.

He also backed key measures to reduce gun violence, including provisions to strengthen criminal background checks; lift the ban on federal gun violence research; and strengthen DOD reporting to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) to prevent gun sales to service members who have been court martialed and convicted of serious crimes.

Additionally, Senator Reed successfully included a number of key provisions that will benefit Rhode Island, such as $50 million in federal funding under the Homeland Security Appropriations title to begin reimbursing over a dozen airports, including T.F. Green, for post-9/11 capital security improvements that they made at the urging of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).  Despite TSA’s promise of future reimbursement, the agency made no effort to cover the airports’ costs, prompting Reed to lead a bipartisan group of senators to push for this funding. 

Reed also worked to secure additional funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to finalize a plan to create a permanent home for vessels and personnel at Naval Station Newport. 

And Reed worked to secure funding under the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, which provide millions of dollars each year to help Rhode Island invest in water and sewer projects through the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank. 

Reed highlighted several other key areas of the bill that will benefit Rhode Island, including:

Agriculture, Rural Development, & Food and Drug Administration (FDA): $23.3 billion

•  $6.175 billion for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) to help improve the health and nutritional intake of low-income pregnant, breastfeeding and postpartum women as well as infants and children up to their fifth birthday.  The bill also provides required mandatory spending, which is outside the discretionary funding jurisdiction of the Appropriations Committee, for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

•  $2.9 billion for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help promote and protect public health by overseeing the safety, efficacy, quality and security of food, human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical devices, and cosmetics.

•  $3.03 billion for the Agricultural Research Service.

•  $1.7 billion for the Farm Service Agency (FSA) to support their local field service system.

•  $1.06 billion for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

•  $1.03 billion to help protect open spaces and farm land.

•  $249 million for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program.  This program provides eligible Rhode Island seniors in need with free, bulk boxes of healthy food from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to prepare and enjoy at home.  Additionally, the Emergency Food Assistance Program storage and distribution is increased by $5 million for a total funding level of $64.4 million.

Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies: $59.6 billion

Senator Reed is a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS).

•  $29.9 billion for the U.S. Department of Justice to help fight crime and terrorism, protect communities and families, and provide critical grant funding for local law enforcement initiatives.  This includes funding for key operational grant programs that benefit Rhode Island, such as $415.5 million for Byrne Justice Assistance Grants; $492 million for Violence Against Women Act programs; $282.5 million for juvenile justice and mentoring grants; $225 million for Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) hiring grants; $330 million for Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act grants; $77 million for Anti-Human Trafficking grants; $76 million for Missing and Exploited Children programs; $47.5 million for Reduce Sexual Assault Kits Backlog grants.

•  A total of $446.5 million for anti-opioid abuse grant programs to fund activities such as drug courts, treatment, prescription drug monitoring, heroin enforcement task forces, overdose reversal drugs, and at-risk youth programs. In addition, the bill increases federal law enforcement resources to investigate and prosecute drug traffickers.

•  $7.8 billion for the National Science Foundation (NSF) to help spark innovation through NSF’s research and development facilities to support today’s scientists, engineers, and technicians, while also supporting education and training programs to build tomorrow’s innovation workforce.  The bill includes at least $170.7 million for the EPSCoR and $105 million for continued work on three new Regional Class Research Vessels.

•  $5.9 billion for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which includes funding for the National Weather Service to provide critical weather information to the public, and investments in new and existing weather satellites that are essential to maintain and improve weather forecasts.  The bill provides $75 million to continue NOAA’s fleet recapitalization.  The bill includes $2 million to finalize a plan for a new NOAA facility at Naval Station Newport.  Naval Station Newport is currently home the Fisheries Survey Vessel Henry Bigelow and hosts visiting NOAA vessels.

•  $2.8 billion for the U.S. Census Bureau to begin the ramp up for the completion of the 2020 Census.  The Census is currently conducting the 2018 End-to-End Census Test in Providence County.

•  $75 million for Coastal Zone Management Grants (that support CRMC), $65 million for Sea Grant, $53.4 million for Habitat Restoration, $36.5 million for Ocean Exploration, $35 million for Integrated Ocean Observing Systems, $28 million NOAA ocean education program, $11.5 million for Marine Aquaculture (under Sea Grant), and $15 million for NOAA aquaculture.

•  $1.2 billion for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which helps provide technical resources to promote the global competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers and aspiring start-ups.  It includes $140 million for NIST’s Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) to help manufacturers accelerate development and adoption of cutting-edge manufacturing technologies for making new, globally competitive products.  The bill provides $15 million for the new National Network of Manufacturing Institutes, and it also includes $33 million for the expanded National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE).

•  $301.5 million for the Economic Development Administration (EDA).

•  $75 million for the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Initiative. 

•  $18 million for NASA Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) program to support research and innovation in STEM fields. 

Defense: $654.4 Billion

Senator Reed is a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, and the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, who, along with Chairman John McCain (R-AZ), co-wrote the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).  The omnibus provides $589.5 billion in base Department of Defense funding, and $65.2 billion in Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funding.

•  $230 billion in funding for operation and maintenance accounts to improve full spectrum warfighter readiness.  This funding level makes significant investments in training, maintenance, and modernization to restore near-term warfighting readiness while setting the conditions for future, sustained readiness. 

•  Fully funds a 2.4 percent pay raise for military personnel as authorized by the 2018 NDAA.

•  $34.8 billion for the Defense Health Program, which provides medical services for military personnel and their families, continues advancements in medical research, and implements the next generation of electronic health records. 

•  $5.45 billion for the Virginia-class submarine program, which is $225 million more than the budget request, in order to expand the submarine industrial base, an initiative Reed supported. The bill supports the ten boat, multi-year contract that the Navy and Electric Boat signed in April 2014.

•  $1.6 billion to fully support the Columbia-class submarine program, which will replace the Ohio-class of ballistic submarines.

•  $72.9 million for the Virginia Payload Module.

•  $1.3 billion for the National Guard and Reserve Equipment Account to modernize our reserve forces and ensure full interoperability with the active duty force.

•  $217 million for the DDG-1000 Zumwalt destroyer program.

•  $150 million for advanced procurement of a new Polar-class icebreaker for the Coast Guard.

•  $61 million to accelerate undersea warfare applied research, which is $5 million more than the budget request.

•  $38.5 million for the Procurement Technical Assistance Program, which is $14.3 million above the budget request, in order to help small businesses, including those in Rhode Island, compete for contracts with the Department of Defense.

•  $30 million in supplemental Impact Aid and $5 million in Impact Aid for schools with military dependent children with severe disabilities.

Energy and Water Development: $43.2 billion

•  $11.1 billion to support basic and applied scientific research to make America more competitive in clean energy and other high-technology endeavors.  ARPA-E is increased by $47 million for a total of $353 million.  The Office of Science is increased by $868 million for a total of $6.2 billion.

•  $7.1 billion for environmental cleanup and management activities, $706 million above the fiscal year 2017 enacted level.

•  $6.83 billion, for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, including funding for operation and maintenance of water resources projects in Rhode Island, such as Fox Point Barrier ($2,816,000); Woonsocket Flood Control Project ($402,000); Rhode Island South Coast resiliency ($300,000).

•  $2.32 billion for Energy and Efficiency and Renewable Energy programs.  This includes $248 million for the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) and $55 million for the State Energy Program.  Senators Reed and Susan Collins (R-ME) led the bipartisan effort to increase investment in these programs.

•  $1.62 billion for Naval Reactors, including funding for the Ohio-class replacement submarine.

Financial Services and General Government: $23.4 billion

•  $701 million for the Small Business Administration (SBA).  The bill provides $247 million for entrepreneurial development grants; $130 million for Small Business Development Centers; $18 million for Women’s Business Centers; and $11.5 million for the SCORE program. These programs offer personal training, assistance, and mentorship to small business owners and entrepreneurs. SBA’s business loan program will have new authority to guarantee $29 billion in 7(a) loans, which expand access to capital for small business owners.

•  $1.896 billion for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and $249 million for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).  The bill maintains the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Office of Financial Research as independent funded agencies.

•  $250 million for the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI) to leverage private sector investment in community development projects like affordable housing, retail development, and lending to small businesses, filling some of the gap left by private sector investment after the financial crisis.  RIHousing recently won a $4.7 million CDFI grant to create and preserve over 550 apartments and homes for families across the state and attract additional private investment to help create and support hundreds of jobs.

•  $415 million for the Office of National Drug Control Policy, an increase of $27 million above fiscal year 2017 to help reduce drug trafficking and drug use.

•  $380 million to the Election Assistance Commission for state grants to improve election equipment and combat outside interference in U.S. elections.  Reed cosponsored the bipartisan Secure Elections Act (S. 2261).

Homeland Security: $47.7 billion

•  $12.1 billion for the U.S. Coast Guard to improve readiness, modernize vessels and aircraft, and improve the quality of life for our service members.

•  $7.9 billion for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The bill includes $50 million to repay T.F. Green and other airports for security improvements they made at their own expense but for which have never received eligible reimbursement from the federal government.

•  $507 million for the State Homeland Security Grants, with set asides for Operation Stone Garden ($85 million) and grants for security at non-profit institutions ($10 million) to equip and train first responders and state, tribal and local officials for homeland security protection and response.

•  $650 million for Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) with $50 million for security at non-profit institutions.

•  $100 million for Port Security grants and $100 million for Public Transportation Security grants, including set-asides of $10 million for Amtrak and $2 million of over-the-road bus service.

•  $120 million for FEMA’s Emergency Food and Shelter program, which supports the activities of non-profit organizations working to meet the needs of hungry and homeless people throughout the United States.

•  $350 million for firefighter equipment grants (AFG) and $350 million for firefighter hiring and retention (SAFER); $350 million for the Emergency Management Performance Grants;

•  $249 million for the Predisaster Mitigation Program; $262.5 million for FEMA flood hazard mapping and risk analysis; and $175 million for flood mitigation activities under the National Flood Insurance Program.  Mitigation investments save four dollars in disaster recovery spending for every one dollar spent.  Reed led a bipartisan effort supporting the increases in these programs.

•  $40.5 million for DHS University Programs, including the Coastal Resilience Center of Excellence that URI participates in.

The bill also includes $7.9 billion in FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund.

Interior, Environment and Related Agencies: $35.2 billion

Senator Reed is a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies and a former Chairman of the panel.

•  $13.1 billion for the U.S. Department of the Interior.  Included in this funding are expenses for the National Park Service ($3.2 billion), the Fish and Wildlife Service ($1.6 billion), and the Bureau of Land Management ($1.3 billion).  The Forest Service is funded at $6 billion.

•  $869,000 to continue funding the newly created Blackstone River Valley National Historic Park.

•  $8.1 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  Included in the funding for EPA is $2.9 billion for the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Loan fund, which states and localities use for water infrastructure modernization projects.

•  $447.9 million for EPA Geographic Programs, including a total of $5 million for Southern New England estuaries.

•  $1 billion for Smithsonian Institution programs and facilities construction.

•  $153 million for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and $153 million for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to support arts and humanities programs.

•  $425 million from LWCF, with more than 50 percent directed to state and local recreation and conservation. These funds will help ensure that public land is protected and available for recreation.

•  $486.8 million for the National Wildlife Refuge System, $2.8 million increase above fiscal year 2017.

•  $9.5 million for the Beaches Protection grants program.

•  $8.7 million for environmental education programs.

Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee (Labor-H): $177.1 billion

Senator Reed is a member of the Senate Labor-H Subcommittee.

•  $37.1 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an increase of $3 billion over the previous year.  This increase includes $500 million for targeted research on opioid addiction, $1.8 billion for Alzheimer’s disease research, as well as increases for brain research and antibiotic research.  Plus, it provides a general increase to all NIH Institutes and Centers to continue basic bio-medical research and translational research.

•  $22.5  billion for Pell Grants to increase the maximum award at $6,095 for the 2018-2019 school year. There will be approximately 7.4 million Pell Grant recipients during the 2018-2019 school year, an increase of more than 200,000 students compared to the current school year. 

•  $3.64 billion for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), a $250 million increase over fiscal year 2017 and the highest funding level for the program since fiscal year 2011.  The President’s budget proposed eliminating LIHEAP.  Senator Reed and Senator Collins (R-ME) led the bipartisan effort to secure this funding.  Last year, Rhode Island received $25.5 million for LIHEAP.

•  $15.8 billion, an increase of $300 million, for Title I funding to help schools meet high academic achievement standards.  Roughly 90 percent of the nation’s school districts receive title I funding.

•  $13.1 billion for IDEA/Special Education Part B grants to states, an increase of nearly $300 million.

•  $9.86  billion for Head Start.

•  $5.2 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), an increase of nearly $2.4 billion.  And $250 million to continue support for Preschool Development Grants. 

•  $8.3 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a 15 percent increase over the previous year.  This includes $350 million to increase efforts to combat prescription drug overdose abuse with evidence-based activities, as well as increases for core public health work such as tobacco control, chronic disease prevention, and flu response.

•  $5.16 billion for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), $1.4 billion more than fiscal year 2017.

•  $5.43 billion for Community Health Centers (CHCs) to provide comprehensive, quality health care services to medically underserved communities and vulnerable populations.

•  $2.8 billion for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Grants to states to provide job training skills and assistance to low-skilled adults, dislocated workers and low-income youth with barriers to employment.

•  $240 million for the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a $9 million increase, and $189.3 million for the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), a $5.7 million increase.  Senators Reed and Susan Collins (R-ME) led the bipartisan effort to increase investment in LSTA. 

•  $1.7 billion for Job Corps to help young Americans receive education, job training, and employment assistance.

•  $1.06 billion for the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) to help more than 5 million Americans improve the lives of their fellow citizens through its core programs to strengthen communities and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering.

•  $1.36 billion to help low-income and first generation college students plan, prepare for, and succeed in college through the TRIO ($1.01 billion) and GEAR UP ($350 million) programs.

•  $617 million for Adult Education State Grants, and increase of $35 million. Thirty-six million adults lack basic literacy and numeracy skills and are not well-positioned to compete for living wage jobs in the 21st century economy.

•  $1.13 billion, an increase of $140 million, for Federal Work Study and $840 million, an increase of nearly $107 million, for Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants to help needy students pay for college.

•  $50 million for campus-based child care, an increase of $35 million.

•  $5 million to pilot open resource instructional materials to bring down the cost of college textbooks.

•  $295 million for Veterans Employment and Training Service (VETS).

•  $1.1 billion for Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants, a $700 million increase to support well-rounded education opportunities.  Last year, Rhode Island received $1.94 million from the program and should see additional resources in the coming year as a result of this significant increase in funding for the overall program.

•  $10 million for Statewide Family Engagement Centers to support parental involvement in education.  This program was part of Senator Reed’s Family Engagement in Education Act that was included in the Every Student Succeed Act.

•  $145 million for an Apprenticeship Grant program, which will support competitive grants to states to increase their capacity to register and oversee apprenticeship programs.

•  $89.5 million for YouthBuild, which helps young people get a second chance at earning their high school diploma while learning valuable occupational and life management skills.

•  $43 million for the Teacher Quality Partnership Grant program to continue this partnership program between colleges of education and high need school districts.

•  $27 million for Innovative Approaches to Literacy, Senator Reed’s initiative to support school libraries and literacy programs that ensure that children have access to books in the home.

•  $315 million for Children’s Hospitals Graduate Medical Education (CHGME), an increase of $15 million.

•  $35 million for the Healthy Homes and Lead Poisoning Prevention Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), doubling the program over the previous year.

•  $190 million to support statewide comprehensive literacy programs.

•  $751 million for the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, which supports the Superfund research program at Brown University.

Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies (MilCon-VA): $92 billion

Senator Reed is a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies.

In addition to $92 billion in discretionary funding, the bill also provides $103.9 billion in mandatory funding for the VA and provides $49.1 billion in fiscal year 2019 advance funding for veterans medical services and $95.7 billion for fiscal year 2019 advance funding for the VA’s compensation and pensions mandatory accounts.