“Minibus” Legislation Would Invest in Affordable Housing, Food Assistance, Climate Resiliency, the Arts, and More

WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) applauded the House’s passage of six government funding bills that include investments in several key priorities and community projects championed by the Congresswoman.

“Communities in the Massachusetts 7th and all across the country continue to face layered, overlapping crises, and we must advance policies and budgets that promote healing and center justice and equity,” said Rep. Pressley. “From investing in affordable housing, supporting families experiencing food insecurity, to making our physical infrastructure more climate resilient, this bill makes historic investments that will help us root out many of the longstanding disparities in the 7th and beyond. I was proud to support it on the House floor today and won’t stop fighting for the bold federal investments that our communities need and deserve in this moment.”

The “Minibus” legislation that passed the House today includes the Departments of Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development; Agriculture-Rural Development-FDA; Interior and Environment; Energy and Water; Military Construction and Veteran Affairs; and Legislative Branch.

Investments in the legislation that were championed by Rep. Pressley include:

• Investments in Affordable Housing. Rep. Pressley secured $125 million for the Family Self-Sufficiency Program, which will allow this asset-building program to serve more households and help low-income families receiving project-based rental assistance build wealth in the Massachusetts 7th. She also secured $26,184,000,000 for the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program, which will benefit over 87,000 households in Massachusetts that use Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers.
• Aid for Families Experiencing Food Insecurity. Rep. Pressley secured $6 billion in overall budget funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, which provides much needed public health nutrition program supporting low-income mothers and young children who have or are at risk for developing nutrition-related diseases and disorders. She also secured $469,710,000 for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which will help seniors in the Massachusetts 7th who may not be eligible for other USDA programs.
• Promoting Fare-Free Transit Efforts as a Disability Justice Issue. The House adopted a measure by Rep. Pressley directing the Federal Transit Administration to conduct a study on fare free transit’s impact on people with disabilities.
• Bolstering Climate Resiliency. Rep. Pressley secured $330,000,000 for the Weatherization Assistance Program to help low-income families, seniors, veterans, and individuals with disabilities improve the climate resiliency and energy efficiency of their homes. She also secured $4,000,000,000 for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, to fund federal government programs that research renewable energy implementation and create green jobs.
• Funding for the Arts and Preserving Black History. Rep. Pressley successfully secured $207 million for both the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment of the Arts, which will support communities, schools, and small businesses throughout the Massachusetts 7th Congressional district. She also secured $2,505,000 for the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom program in the National Parks Service Operations.
• Support for Congressional Staff. Rep. Pressley also secured language in the budget that would remove barriers blocking DACA recipients from working in Congress.

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