By U.S. Sen. Angus King
(I-Maine)
After months of negotiations between the chairs of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, last week Congress approved a bill to fund the federal government for the remainder of the fiscal year. It passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in both chambers, will continue significant reductions to our federal deficit, and avoids another government shutdown. I am proud to have been a member of the Budget Conference Committee that developed the bipartisan framework for this legislation.
The bill contains a number of provisions that are particularly important to Maine. Some of these victories were made possible by my work on the Senate Budget Committee and the Senate Armed Services Committee, as well as the efforts of Sen. Susan Collins through her position on the Senate Appropriations Committee.
For Maine’s defense-related industries, our combined efforts helped secure important funding for shipbuilding operations at Bath Iron Works (BIW) and military construction projects at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Last June, the Department of Defense awarded BIW a contract to construct four destroyers with the option of a fifth ship should sufficient funding be made available. Unfortunately, under sequestration, funding levels fell short of what was needed.
The bill allows BIW and the Navy to overcome that shortfall by providing the necessary funds to begin construction on the fifth ship. This is a big win for Maine that will increase workforce stability at one of our state’s largest employers and provide the Navy with the necessary resources to execute our defense missions around the world. In addition, the bill contains substantial funds to modernize infrastructure and increase the efficiency of operations at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.
Maine’s transportation and infrastructure systems also benefit from the spending bill through increased funding for federal highway projects and Transportation Infrastructure Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants. These programs help ensure that crumbling infrastructure doesn’t become a permanent roadblock to Maine’s economic development. To that end, I recently joined Sens. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) to introduce the Partnership to Build America Act, which establishes an infrastructure fund to help finance transportation, energy, communications, water, and education infrastructure projects across the country.
This week while visiting the Androscoggin Head Start & Child Care Center in Auburn as well as Educare Central Maine in Waterville, I saw first-hand the positive impact early childhood education initiatives like Head Start and its partners have on our communities. The level of engagement coming from students, parents and teachers there was truly impressive and demonstrated how these early learning programs can lay the foundation for our children to enter school ready for success. Fortunately for Maine, this year’s spending bill contains additional Head Start funds that will hopefully allow us to reclaim some of the 350 Head Start slots lost due to sequestration.
As we continue to face one of the coldest winters of the past decade, many in Maine are struggling to keep warm. This bill provides significant Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funds that will hopefully prevent folks from being forced to choose between heating their homes and putting food on the table. Similarly, the bill increases spending for the renewal of existing Section 8 Tenant Based Rental Assistance vouchers. If the program’s funding had remained at sequester levels, an estimated 500 to 1,250 Maine families could have lost vital housing vouchers that provide them with the financial assistance needed to keep a roof over their heads.
Other programs that benefit from the 2014 spending bill include health-related research initiatives, veterans’ programs, and disaster relief for our ground fisheries. If you want to learn even more about the specifics, please visit my website (www.king.senate.gov). While it is far from perfect, the final legislation marks an important step for our economy, for the country, and for Congress. It represents a true compromise agreement that keeps us on a path towards economic recovery and long-term prosperity. Congress will always be a home to conflicting ideas, but it must also be a place where the desire to find solutions encourages lawmakers to see past ideological differences and find common ground.
