PASSED: As Appropriations Chair, Murray Secures Billions for WA Priorities in Six-Bill Funding Package; Fully Funds WIC & Protects Programs for Working Families
PASSED: Murray Delivers $372 Million More for Washington State, $1 Billion More for Child Care & Pre-K, Puts Working Families First in Setting Funding Priorities In Second Six-Bill Package
Senador Murray: “I made sure to write this year’s government funding bills with Southwest Washington in mind and I’m proud to have secured resources for incredible local projects”
***A FULL LIST OF CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING SECURED BY MURRAY CAN BE FOUND AQUÍ***
Washington DC - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that she secured nearly $242 million in Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) for projects in every corner of Washington state across the two, bicameral, bipartisan funding packages for fiscal year 2024. The first six-bill package Murray negotiated as Appropriations Chair was passed through the Senate overwhelmingly in a 75-22 vote on March 8th and signed into law March 9th. The second six-bill package, which Murray also negotiated, was passed by the Senate in an overwhelming, 74-24 vote March 23rd and signed into law March 23rd. A full, searchable list of all the local projects in Washington state that Murray secured funding for across the 9 appropriations bills which included CDS can be found AQUÍ.
In Southwest Washington, Senator Murray secured nearly $19 million for 10 local CDS projects.
“I made sure to write this year’s government funding bills with Southwest Washington in mind and I’m proud to have secured resources for incredible local projects—everything from advancing the Lieser School and Heights District redevelopment projects in Vancouver to improving local water infrastructure,” dijo el senador Murray. “There is so much else in these funding bills that will help families and communities in the region—from the billion dollar boost I secured for child care and pre-k, to funding for the Capital Investment Grant program that will be critical to getting the job done on the I-5 Bridge Replacement Project. Most of my constituents can’t fly to DC to lobby some federal agency, but I can talk to folks when I’m back home and I can fight for the resources that they know will make a difference—like $700,000 for the Cowlitz Indian Tribe’s mobile health unit that I saw for myself earlier this year, that’s an effort that is literally saving lives in Clark County.”
“Senator Murray has always been a strong advocate for Vancouver. As Chair of Appropriations, her dedication to securing federal funding for several important projects across our community is greatly appreciated,” dijo la alcaldesa de Vancouver, Anne McEnerny-Ogle. “Among the projects she went to bat for locally, we are particularly grateful for the $4 million allocated to The Heights District project. This funding has meant we can kick-start construction of the initial infrastructure improvements on this transformational project.”
The full list of CDS projects Murray secured in Southwest Washington, in alphabetical order, is:
- $4 million for the City of Vancouver’s Heights Infrastructure Investment Project, specifically, for infrastructure development including streets and roadways, parks, drainage, and other public amenities. Joint request with Sen. Cantwell and Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez.
- $1 million for Clark College to purchase and install equipment and development of curriculum for a clean energy technical education program in Vancouver. Joint request with Sen. Cantwell.
- $700,000 for the Tribu india Cowlitz for a mobile health unit in Longview for substance use disorder treatment, including equipment. Joint request with Sen. Cantwell.
- In January, Senator Murray toured the Cowlitz Tribe’s clinic in Vancouver and their MAT van—which provides mobile substance use disorder treatment services—and met with Cowlitz Tribe Chairwoman Patty Kinswa-Gaiser and other Cowlitz Tribal leaders about their work treating substance use disorder in Clark County and the surrounding communities. Photos and b-roll are AQUÍ.
- $3 million for Discovery Clean Water Alliance in Vancouver for the replacement of existing wastewater treatment equipment to improve system-wide efficiency and return more clean water to the Columbia River. Joint request with Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez.
- $4 million for the Autoridad de Vivienda de la Ciudad de Vancouver’s Lieser School Redevelopment Project to fund a street connection that will allow for major components of the project to move forward, including rental unit apartments, a new public park to increase access to open space for the community, and an early learning child care facility for low-income children and families.
- $180,000 for sediment monitoring at Mount St. Helens. Joint request with Sen. Cantwell.
- $1 million for PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver for its Emergency Department Expansion. The project will double the size of the current Emergency Department space to approximately 50,000 square feet, including 30 percent more private patient rooms as well as increased space accommodations for families.
- $272,000 for the Port of Longview to purchase and install two portable generators to ensure that the Port can continue to operate temporarily in case of a disaster. Joint request with Sen. Cantwell.
- $4 million for the United Way of Lewis County to build a high-quality early learning center that will service 80 students each year from low- to moderate income families in a location that will also help to revitalize downtown Centralia.
- $475,000 for YWCA Clark County for a therapeutic preschool program—the first of its kind in Clark County—that would work specifically to address trauma from child abuse and neglect. Joint request with Sen. Cantwell.
***If you are writing about a specific CDS project and would like a quote from Senator Murray on that project, or any additional information, please reach out to prensa@murray.senate.gov***
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