Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson issued the following statement on the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2018:
"Although I am extremely disappointed that a DACA fix was not included, I am pleased that Congress has finally passed the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2018 that President Trump signed today. After numerous temporary funding measures and unnecessarily stringent budget caps, this bill, although imperfect, funds several items that are critical to Florida and to the nation.
"In addition to rejecting the Trump administration's cruel anti-immigrant agenda, the omnibus invests heavily in key priorities like child care, education, transportation and infrastructure, national security, affordable housing, public safety, election protection, medical and health care research, our nation's veterans, and many other line items. These investments are certain to help boost job creation for America's workers, economic growth, and support badly needed by those living in disadvantaged communities.
"Wins for Florida and District 24 include, but are not limited to:
- A 14 percent increase in funding for historically black colleges and universities, including Florida A&M, Florida Memorial University, Bethune-Cookman and Edward Waters College in Jacksonville
- Additional funding for the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund spending target established by WRRDA 2014, which will benefit PortMiami
- $250 million in federal funding for positive train control grants to prevent deadly crashes on Florida railroads
- $416 million for Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants
- Restored proposed administration cuts to Everglades restoration projects
- $610 million increase for Head Start, a $2.37 billion increase for the Child Care and Development Block Grant Program and a $300 million increase in grants to Title I schools
- $3.3 billion for Community Development Block Grants
- $22 billion for public housing vouchers for needy populations, including the elderly, disabled, and persons living with HIV/AIDS
"I also was very pleased that I was able to insert $10 million for support of a "multi-partner trust fund or other multi-lateral efforts to assist communities in Haiti affected by cholera resulting from the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti."
