Rep. Steve Knight (CA-25) spoke this week on the House floor in support of a bill that will fund a wide range of programs in his home district.
House Resolution 2578, the Appropriations Bill for Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies, came up on the floor for a Tuesday vote. As its name suggests, the bill would fund a multitude of federal agencies including the Department of Justice, National Science Foundation and National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
“The programs that this bill supports will have a direct benefit to the communities I represent,” Knight said. “I’m very pleased that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle have come together to pass this common sense legislation.”
The legislation contains $51.4 billion in total discretionary funding, which represents an increase of $1.3 billion over fiscal year 2015, and $661 million below President Obama’s request for these programs. The bill reportedly funds high-priority local efforts to combat violence against women, house federal detainees, and to help missing and exploited children. It would also direct an historically high amount of funds toward national scientific research into manufacturing, neuroscience, STEM education, and cybersecurity. Also, the legislation includes language that would protect and continue to fund NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, located in Palmdale.
