Texas Insider Report: WASHINGTON DC Today U.S. Representative Will Hurd (TX-23) proudly supported an appropriations package that funds the Departments of Defense Labor and Health and Human Services through Fiscal Year 2019. The bill includes funding for educational grants the Meals on Wheels program and a pay raise for men and women in the military amongst others. After leaving the House Floor Hurd released the following statement:
Todays vote keeps several important promises to our troops students and seniors alike said Hurd who represents 29 counties across two time zones in South and West Texas. I am proud to help get this bipartisan conference report over the finish line and will continue to do all that I can to deliver real results for South and West Texans.
Specific wins for programs at military bases in or near the 23rd District of Texas include:
- Continuing support for the Air Education and Training Commands (AETC) efforts to mitigate flooding impacts on facilities equipment and operations at Laughlin Air Force Base;
- Providing $10 million for military dental research and $125 million for traumatic brain injury research at the Joint Center of Excellence for Battlefield Health and Trauma at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio; and
- Including $181 million for the National Guard Youth Challenge Program which helps at-risk kids complete high school at schools like the Texas Youth Challenge Academy in Sheffield Texas.
This bipartisan conference report also includes funding for Department of Defense programs that Rep. Hurd supported earlier this year including:
- Providing our troops with a 2.6 pay raise their largest pay raise in 9 years;
- Ensuring critical funding for the Overseas Contingency Operations and Global War on Terrorism efforts;
- Replenishing our aircraft tanks and ships;
- Investing in research and development for new defense systems and technologies to ensure our warfighters are better prepared and better supported than our adversaries;
- Caring for our troops and their families by funding the Defense Health Program which includes cancer research traumatic brain injury and psychological health research and sexual assault prevention and response; and
- Streamlining the bureaucracy at the Pentagon to ensure effective operations and efficient spending of taxpayer dollars.
Additionally the package funds several important public health safety and education measures such as:
- Providing critical funding for the Meals on Wheels program that feeds approximately 100000 Texas seniors daily;
- Helping todays students get ahead by increasing funding for Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) along with the GEAR UP grant program TRIO and career technical and adult education programs;
- Boosting funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in support of critical research into Alzheimers disease cancer antibiotic-resistant bacteria and opioids;
- Creating grant funding opportunities for Extramural Research Facility Funding through NIH which presents a new funding opportunity for Texas Biomedical Research Institutes critical research;
- Supporting a 21st century workforce though job training for both civilians and our veterans; and
- Increasing funding for school safety activities including mental health programs in schools.
