Appropriations Committee Advances Key Bills with Over $33.7 Million in Reed-Backed Earmarks for RI Community-Driven Projects
WASHINGTON, DC — The powerful Senate Appropriations Committee cleared four critical bills this week to fund the departments of Defense, Energy, Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education, along with funding for financial services, general government, and water development.
U.S. Senator Jack Reed, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, helped include several major wins for Rhode Island working families, communities, and small businesses as well as $33.7 million in earmarks for a variety of projects and programs across the Ocean State.
“Passing these bipartisan funding packages is critical to ensuring the government works effectively for the American people. Appropriators came together on a bipartisan basis to prioritize investments in safeguarding our nation, strengthening our economy, and supporting working families. These bills make key investments in our communities, and I was pleased to include earmarks for Rhode Island to directly support local priorities across the state. I will continue working to get these Appropriations bills passed by the full Senate, reconciled with the House of Representatives, and signed by the President,” said Senator Reed.
In a 28-0 vote, the Committee unanimously approved the Fiscal Year 2025 Defense Appropriations bill, providing $852.2 billion in total funding for the U.S. Department of Defense.
In a 28-0 vote, the Committee unanimously approved the Fiscal Year 2025 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, providing $61.5 billion for the U.S. Department of Energy, Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation, and independent agencies.
In a 27-0 vote, the Committee unanimously approved the Fiscal Year 2025 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill, providing $27.9 billion to fund the operations of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Executive Office of the President, the federal judiciary, the Small Business Administration (SBA), and more than two dozen independent federal agencies.
In a 25-3 vote, the Committee approved the Fiscal Year 2025 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, providing $122.8 billion in discretionary funding.
Senator Reed helped include several major programmatic wins, such as $4.125 billion for LIHEAP, an increase of $100 million; a $2.3 billion increase for federal child care and early learning programs, including a $1.6 billion increase for the Child Care and Development Block Grant; a $100 increase to the maximum Pell Grant, bringing it to $7,495; and a $20 million increase for the Childhood Cancer STAR Act.
Reed also included several earmarks for Rhode Island projects, including:
Energy and Water Development: $8 million
• $7.7 million for Army Corps of Engineers projects across Rhode Island, including funds for Fox Point Barrier, Little Narragansett Bay, Woonsocket, Project Condition Surveys, and the Block Island Harbor of Refuge
• $250,000 for a Port of Galilee Energy Assessment
• $50,000 for the Charlestown Dune and Breachway Rehabilition Study
• $50,000 for Bristol’s Silver Creek Study
Labor, Health, and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies: $20.8 million
• $4.2 million to RI Department of Behavioral Health, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals for the purchase of medical equipment
• $1.5 million to University of Rhode Island for mental health programming for youth
• $1.3 million to Rhode Island College for college access and success programming
• $1.2 million to Beautiful Day to support self-sufficiency through a food entrepreneurship program
• $852,000 to CODAC Behavioral Healthcare for facilities and equipment
• $800,000 for College Unbound to provide wrap around assistance to their students
• $800,000 to Providence College for its neuroscience program
• $750,000 to YouthBuild Preparatory Academy for youth workforce development
• $723,000 to College Visions for college preparedness and access programming
• $680,000 to Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island for a refugee assistance program
• $650,000 to the Boys & Girls Club of East Providence for youth programming
• $600,000 to Onward We Learn for college access and support services
• $500,000 to the Blackstone Valley Community Health Care, Inc. for facilities and equipment
• $500,000 to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Providence & East Bay for a workforce development program in the construction industry
• $500,000 to the Narragansett Indian Tribe for out-of-school time programming
• $485,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Warwick for youth programming
• $480,000 to the Rhode Island Manufacturing Institute DBA We Make RI for job training and employment placement services
• $450,000 to the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra & Music School for youth music education
• $425,000 for Town of South Kingstown to purchase an ambulance
• $410,000 to the Federal Hill House Association for community services and programming
• $350,000 to HopeHealth Hospice & Palliative Care for mental health services and grief counseling
• $250,000 to the Davinci Center for community services for at-risk individuals
• $220,000 to the Mount Hope Community Center for a youth reading program
• $210,000 to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank Association to purchase a vehicle for food deliveries
• $180,000 to the Community College of Rhode Island for health education
• $180,000 to the Rhode Island Black Storytellers for youth educational programming
• $160,000 to The Autism Project for programming for individuals with autism
• $150,000 to New Urban Arts for arts education and curriculum development
• $150,000 for Progreso Latino adult education programming
• $145,000 to Rhode Island Free Clinic for telehealth equipment
• $125,000 to the Newport Community School for workforce training
• $120,000 to the RI Department of State for youth civic education programming
• $120,000 to The Arc of Blackstone Valley for vehicles and charging stations
• $110,000 to Blackstone Valley Community Action Program, Inc. (BVCAP) for improving job training services at its career development center
• $100,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rhode Island’s youth mentoring program
• $100,000 to the Herren Project for a substance use disorder recovery program
• $100,000 to Mixed Magic Theatre & Cultural Events for a workforce training program
• $100,000 to the Rhode Island Environmental Education Association, Inc. for environmental education
• $100,000 to the Riverzedge Arts Project for a job training program
• $60,000 to Reach Out and Read Rhode Island for a child literacy program
Financial Services and General Government: $4.9 million
• $2.6 million to the RI Student Assistance Services for Addressing Youth Substance Use
• $1 million for Hope & Main West End Kitchens
• $700,000 to Farm Fresh Rhode Island for a program to connect RI farmers and diners
• $420,000 for Skills for Rhode Island’s Future Small Business Hub
• $125,000 for Providence Revolving Fund’s Small Business Assistance Program
While the Defense bill does not include earmarks, it does provide critical federal funding to help keep America safe, deter conflict, and bring more work to Rhode Island’s defense manufacturing sector. Senator Reed, who also serves as the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, helped include several key provisions in the bill that will benefit Rhode Island, including:
• 4.5% pay raise for all servicemembers and a 5.5% pay raise for junior enlisted members.
• Fully supports construction of a Virginia-class submarine and provides an additional $357 million for a second Virginia-class submarine shipset;
• $9.6 billion to fully support construction of the Columbia-class Program;
• Over $100 million for Navy applied research on undersea warfare technologies, led by the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) in Newport, including $20 million to support Navy and academia submarine partnerships, of which the University of Rhode Island has been a leader.
• Additional funding for university research activities, including $20 million for the Defense Established Programs to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR), which ensures Rhode Island universities may compete to perform cutting-edge basic research and partner with defense labs;
• an additional $32.3 million for the APEX Accelerators Program (formerly known as the Procurement Technical Assistance Program), which provides support to small businesses seeking to contract with the Defense Department;
• $50 million in supplemental Impact Aid, and $20 million in Impact Aid for schools with military dependent children with severe disabilities.
The Senate Appropriations Committee has now advanced 11 of 12 annual appropriations bills in overwhelming bipartisan votes. The last remaining appropriations bill the Committee has not yet considered is the Homeland Security bill.
Passing these appropriations bill through committee is an important step that now allows them to be considered by the full U.S. Senate. The legislation must then be reconciled with a version that is making its way through the U.S. House of Representatives. Both chambers must pass an identical version before it can be sent to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law.
