Courtney Votes to Pass House Omnibus Spending Bill, Includes New Support for Ukraine, Historic Funding for Submarine Construction, Support for Local Manufacturing, and More | Congressman Joe Courtney
Skip to main content

Courtney Votes to Pass House Omnibus Spending Bill, Includes New Support for Ukraine, Historic Funding for Submarine Construction, Support for Local Manufacturing, and More

March 9, 2022

WASHINGTON, DC—Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) voted to pass the FY 2022 Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 2471) a bipartisan omnibus package that includes all twelve annual federal appropriations bills, and would keep America open for business through the duration of the fiscal year. The House's FY 2022 omnibus spending package also includes $13.6 billion in emergency funding to support the Ukrainian people and to defend global democracy in the wake of Russia's lawless and unprovoked attack on Ukraine.

The federal budget negotiation process begins each year in the House, and this year Rep. Courtney successfully secured funding for a wide range of priorities for eastern Connecticut in FY 2022—from a historic amount of funding for U.S. Navy shipbuilding; targeted funding for local projects specifically requested by Rep. Courtney; increased investments in apprenticeships and workforce development; protections for our region's natural heritage like the Last Green Valley, the Long Island Sound and the Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed; and more. The bill was passed by the House today on a bipartisan basis, and is expected to receive a vote in the Senate in the coming days.

"My office works with families, small businesses, and others throughout eastern Connecticut every day—more than anything, people just want to see Congress work together and do our jobs. I think we've done that with the 2022 Omnibus," said Rep. Courtney. "Our budget provides Ukraine with the new round of lethal defense aid that President Biden and President Zelenskyy both called for, it ramps up workforce development and apprenticeship programs that have already proven successful in our region, and it provides new support to America's seniors, students, and working families. This is an eastern Connecticut-focused budget through and through, from the funding it authorizes for submarine construction, to the protections it provides our open spaces like The Last Green Valley, down to its support for local priorities like Impact Aid for schools, crumbling foundations research and remediation, and veterans. Our bill will also finally help kickstart construction on the new U.S. Coast Guard Museum—an exciting provision spearheaded by Senator Murphy and authorized in the House by Chair DeLauro and the Appropriations Committee."

"This is the serious, forward-thinking work that Americans want their Representatives and Senators focused on," Rep. Courtney continued. "I was proud to help craft and pass a budget that supports our partners in Ukraine and that provides a boost to towns and families in our region as we prepare for the future, and especially glad that we got it done on a bipartisan basis. The Senate should waste no time in sending the House's 2022 budget on to President Biden's desk for signature."

New Support for Ukraine
Rep. Courtney has supported calls for a new round of support to Ukraine following President Biden's State of the Union address and after receiving updates from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Omnibus spending package includes $13.6 billion in emergency funding to re-supply America's Ukrainian partners with lethal defense aid and humanitarian assistance, including:

  • Support for the European Command, and Re-Stocked Defenses — Authorizes $6.5 billion through the Department of Defense to provide support to the European Command's operations and mission, the deployment of personnel to the region and intelligence support; and to replenish U.S. stocks of lethal defense aid sent to Ukraine through previous drawdowns
  • Humanitarian Assistance — Provides $3.9 billion for the Department of State to conduct various migration and refugee assistance programs for Ukraine around the world; and $100 million for the Department of Agriculture to provide Food for Peace Grants, which support in-kind agricultural commodity donations for food assistance to Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees
  • Resources to Ensure Enforcement of Sanctions — Provides $22.1 million for the Department of Commerce to support economic and trade-based analysis, enforcement, and coordination with American partners on vulnerabilities related to global trade and export ramifications of the conflict in Ukraine

Local Projects and Priorities Secured by Rep. Courtney
The FY 2022 omnibus spending bill includes funding for several priorities and projects that were secured specifically by Rep. Courtney—both as Chairman of the House Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, which oversees all U.S. Navy shipbuilding, and as part of this year's Community Project Funding requests.

  • Targeted Funding for Local Projects — H.R. 2471 includes full funding for 10 Community Project Requests throughout eastern Connecticut that were specifically requested by Rep. Courtney—nearly $10 million in federal funding to help complete projects and initiatives ranging from infrastructure improvements, support for residents impacted by crumbling foundations, improved health care delivery, support for the Norwich Police and Fire Departments, and more. More information on each of these projects will be available soon.
  • Historic Support for Submarine Construction — The House's 2022 Omnibus also includes a historic amount of funding for U.S. Navy submarine construction and procurement—a total of $12.5 billion, the most of any federal budget since the 1980's. These provisions were secured by Rep. Courtney, Chairman of the House Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, and his colleagues in the 2022 NDAA, and are fully supported by the 2022 Omnibus. More information will be available soon.


Funding for Working Families, Students, and Seniors

  • Funding for Special Education — Special education received $14.5 billion, an increase of $448 million from FY 2021. This includes an increase of $406 million for Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B Grants to States, for a total of $13.3 billion.
  • Historic Expansion of Pell Grants — The bill provides $24.6 billion for Federal student aid programs, an increase of $35 million above the FY 2021 enacted level. Within this amount is $6,895 for the maximum Pell Grant. This $400 increase is the largest increase in the maximum award in more than a decade.
  • Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) — LIHEAP received a $50 million increase, for a total of $3.8 billion for FY 2022. LIHEAP assists eligible low-income households with their heating and cooling energy costs.
  • Career, Technical, and Adult Education — The bill provides $2.1 billion for Career, Technical and Adult Education, an increase of $61 million above the FY 2021 enacted level. This amount includes: $1.38 billion for CTE State Grants and $690 million for Adult Education State Grants.
  • Registered Apprenticeships — This funding bill provides a $50 million increase in funding for Registered Apprenticeships
  • Community Based Services — $399 million for Home and Community-based Supportive Services within the Administration for Community Living, an increase of $6 million.
  • Healthy meals for seniors — $967 million for Senior Nutrition programs, an increase of $15 million


Workforce Development, Crumbling Foundations, Support for Veterans, and Other Eastern CT Priorities

  • Funding for Crumbling Foundations Research — The final spending agreement includes Rep. Courtney's amendment to provide $2 million to support continued research by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) into the effects of pyrrhotite on concrete aggregate, the same dollar amount the House voted to approve in July. This research will allow NIST to partner with academic research partners to study and develop a reliable cost-effective standard for testing for the presence of pyrrhotite in residential, commercial, and municipal foundations and structures. Additionally, the language authored by Congressman Courtney requires NIST to develop a risk rating scale which quantifies the amount of pyrrhotite which causes the concrete or the foundation to become structurally unsound. Additionally, the request authored by Congressman Courtney directs NIST to work with academic partners to investigate mitigation strategies for concrete structures that may not yet have developed cracking but contain pyrrhotite. The University of Connecticut has been awarded multiple grants to collaborate with NIST on this work.
  • New Funding for Crumbling Foundations Remediation The bill provides $2 million to the Capitol Region Council of Governments for remediation of crumbling foundations impacted by the mineral pyrrhotite.
  • National Coast Guard Museum — Adopts Courtney's request for $5 million in federal funds to continue supporting development of exhibits and preservation of artifacts at the future museum in New London. The bill also includes $50 million for construction of the museum, bringing the federal investment to a total of $70 million.
  • Impact Aid — The FY 2022 omnibus provides $1.6 billion for the Impact Aid program, a $15 million increase from FY 2021. This funding supports local school districts with high proportions military connected students and students who live on tribal lands, including Groton and Ledyard public schools. The bill also provides $50 million for the DOD supplemental impact aid program and $20 million for the DOD Impact Aid for Children with Disabilities program.
  • Supporting the submarine industrial base — The final agreement includes several priorities that Courtney fought to include, including fully supporting the two-per-year build rate of the Virginia-class submarine, fully funding the Columbia-class submarine program, $130 million to support submarine suppliers, $20 million to ensure a healthy and talented submarine workforce, and $25 million to support critical academic research programs at institutions like the University of Connecticut.
  • Putnam National Guard Readiness Center — Funds $17.5 million for a new Connecticut National Guard Readiness Center in Putnam. The new Readiness Center will be a modern facility with adequate troop areas to support the CT Guard's 643rd Military Police Company with its training, administrative, and logistical requirements. This project will bring a CT National Guard presence to Northeast Connecticut for the first time in over a decade.
  • Ensuring the Health of Our Veterans The final agreement includes $1.6 billion to upgrade and construct new Veterans Administration facilities, $882 million for prosthetic research, $598 million for medical services for suicide prevention, and $2.2 billion to prevent veteran homelessness.
  • Conservation Efforts on the Long Island Sound — The final agreement includes $31.4 million for the Long Island Sound Geographic Program in FY 2022.

###