December 18, 2015

Rep. Vargas Highlights Funding for Programs in the District Included in the FY2016 Omnibus

Washington, DC (December 18, 2015) - Representative Juan Vargas (CA-51) voted in favor of the $1.15 trillion government spending bill voted on and approved by the House of Representatives today. Over 100 programs supported by Rep. Vargas were included in the bill. Rep. Vargas issued the following statement after voting on the Fiscal Year 2016 Consolidated Appropriations Act:

“This bill is the result of long hours of hard work and compromise through a bipartisan effort. Although not everything I wanted to see funded was included in this spending bill, I was pleased to see that it tackles issues that go beyond party lines,” said Rep. Vargas. “The omnibus spending bill includes significant funding for programs that benefit our District.”

The following is a list of some of the programs Rep. Vargas worked on with his colleagues in Congress to secure funding for the FY16 budget:

  • Department of Defense’s Operations and Maintenance, Navy: Funded at $39.6 million
  • U.S. Mexico Border Water Infrastructure Program: Funded at $10 million
  • Veterans Treatment Courts: Funded at $6 million
  • Bureau of Reclamation’s Salton Sea Research Project: Funded at $300,000
  • Alfalfa and Forage Research: Funded at $2 million ($1 million less than the original request)
  • Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF): Funded at $450 million
  • Head Start: Funded at $9,168 billion
  • National Institutes of Health: Funded at $32 billion
  • Refugee and Entrant Assistant Program: Funded at $1,674 billion

“The bill provides $32 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an incredible $2 billion above the enacted 2015 level. The funding will provide a general increase to all NIH Institutes and Centers, for the continuation of critical biomedical research that leads to the discovery of new cures. “

Vargas represents California’s 51st Congressional District which includes the southern portion of San Diego County, all of Imperial County and California’s entire US/Mexico border.  Vargas was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012 and is currently serving his second term in Congress.  He represented the 40th California State Senate District from 2010-2012, the 79th California State Assembly District from 2000 – 2006 and served on the San Diego City Council from 1993 – 2000.