WASHINGTON — Rep. Jamaal Bowman last week requested more than $300 billion in federal funding from the House Appropriations Committee for FY22, concluding a months-long outreach and engagement process where his office engaged over 200 local governments, nonprofits, community leaders, and small businesses to advocate for more federal funding going directly to NY-16.
The requests Rep. Bowman submitted included increased funding for childcare, community development, public schools, firefighters, Medicare, medical research, refugee resettlement, and environmental remediation.
“As a new congressional office, it’s been a wonderful experience for us to engage and collaborate with hundreds of our constituents throughout this appropriations process so far,” Rep. Bowman said. “Our mission is to do everything we can to serve the people of NY-16 and to bring the extensive resources of the federal government home to our district, and I’m looking forward to working with the Appropriations Committee and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to bring as many of these proposals to fruition as possible. Thank you so much to all of the members of our community who have shared their needs and priorities.”
For the first time this year, members of Congress had the opportunity to submit ten Community Project Funding requests to provide direct support to nonprofits and local entities in the district. The Appropriations Committee will vet each project for feasibility and, if successful, include grants for these initiatives in the FY22 bill. These Community Project Funding requests reflect the health, education, workforce development, community development, and housing needs of NY-16 residents across the district. Click here to find further information about these Community Project Funding requests.
In addition, the Congressman had the opportunity to submit Member Designated Projects requests to the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee as part of the Surface Reauthorization. The Congressman submitted a total of seven project requests that cover a range of transportation priorities including pedestrian safety for schoolchildren, infrastructure upgrades, and clean transportation projects. Click here to find further information about these Member Designated Project requests.
Lastly, as part of this process, Rep. Bowman led his colleagues in efforts to direct the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to enhance broadband access for tenants in subsidized housing; to increase funding for instruction and leadership support in public schools; and to increase oversight practices on charter schools.
The Appropriations and Transportation and Infrastructure Committees will be meeting over the next several months to determine which requests ultimately receive funding.
Throughout the appropriations season, Rep. Bowman and his congressional office prioritized transparency and collaboration, ensuring that his requests reflected the voices and needs of NY-16 constituents, including by hosting a town hall to discuss the appropriations process with more than 130 participants.
“Co-op City‘s residents have been waiting for over 50 years to be able to not only see their desire for waterfront access come to pass, but to also know that we have a committed partner such as Congressman Bowman, who’s helping us sustain our community’s viability. The experience of collaborating with Congressman Bowman’s team as well as the Riverbay Corporation, our partner on this project, proves that working with others gets you further than working alone,” said Claudia Sampson, President of Riverbay Fund at Co-op City, on the request Rep. Bowman has submitted for funding for waterfront access.
“The Telehealth Intervention Programs for Seniors (TIPS) has been offered throughout Westchester County by the Westchester Public Private Partnership since 2014. Sufficient funding has always been a challenge, which is why we were so excited to learn about the new Community Project Funding initiative during this current Appropriations season. We contacted Congressman Bowman’s office immediately, and they provided us with helpful, friendly and extremely supportive advice. Questions were answered immediately, which made it possible for us to submit a proposal to provide three new TIPS sites, in Mt. Vernon, New Rochelle and Yonkers, that will offer remote patient monitoring to several hundred individuals in these communities. Congressman Bowman’s office guided us through the process, for which we are extremely grateful. It was our first time working with the Congressman’s office – but we look forward to doing so again,” said Colette Phipps of Westchester County Department of Senior Programs and Services.
###