WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, released the following statement after the Senate voted 68-29 to pass the omnibus spending bill for fiscal year 2023:
“President Biden and Congress have made historic progress for Americans this past year. We’ve made substantial investments in the fight against climate change, taken big steps to bring good-paying advanced manufacturing jobs back to America, and stood up for veterans’ health care, keeping our sacred promise to those who served our country. Now, with the passage of the bipartisan spending bill, we’re providing needed funding for those priorities.
“This bill also secures funding for projects across Delaware, with over $90 million in federal support that our Delaware congressional delegation specifically secured to support health care providers, expand affordable housing, protect our state’s waterways and lands, and boost Delaware’s workforce and businesses. Investment in the First State and the people who call it home will always be my most important priority, and this omnibus will improve the lives of Delawareans from Wilmington to Seaford and every point in between.
“This omnibus demonstrates our support for democracy and the rule of law across the world by providing $45 billion in assistance for Ukraine as it fights back against Russia’s brutal invasion, including $14.5 billion I secured as Chair of the SFOPS Subcommittee. It also protects the rule of law at home by including legislation that reforms the Electoral Count Act and safeguards our elections. I am pleased to have worked with a bipartisan group of Senate colleagues to include this bill as part of the larger omnibus.
“I know this bill is far from perfect. It leaves out crucial legislation like the Afghan Adjustment Act, which I will keep fighting for in the weeks and months to come. However, the omnibus will lock in the gains we’ve made over the course of the past year. I’m proud to have supported it, and I urge my colleagues in the House to swiftly pass this legislation and send it to President Biden for his signature.”
Other important provisions in the FY 2023 omnibus that will directly support Delaware jobs and key community priorities include:
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