PASSED: As Appropriations Chair, Murray Secures Billions for WA Priorities in Six-Bill Funding Package; Fully Funds WIC & Protects Programs for Working Families

Murry protects critical funding Washington state counts on, successfully defeats countless extreme Republican policy riders in negotiations

Murray brings home $4.79 billion – securing $188.418 million in Congressionally Directed Spending; $1.568 billion in programmatic funding Murray helped set aside for Washington state; and a record $3.035 billion for the Hanford site; total does not include federal dollars that will arrive through formula funding or competitive grant programs

ICYMI: Murray Secures Full Funding for WIC, Protecting Lifesaving Benefits for Nearly 7 Million Moms & Kids Nationwide – MORE HERE

ICYMI: Murray Releases Appropriations Minibus – MORE HERE

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, led Senate passage of the first bicameral, bipartisan package of six fiscal year 2024 appropriations bills. The six-bill package passed the House on Wednesday and passed the Senate by a 75-22 vote today—the President is expected to sign the funding package as soon as it reaches his desk. There are twelve government spending bills in total and Senator Murray is still working to negotiate the remaining six.

As Senate Appropriations Chair, Senator Murray led negotiations to successfully protect critical funding essential to Washington state and our country’s future, fully fund WIC, and defeat over 150 extreme Republican policy riders. Senator Murray secured billions in funding for Washington state in this first package of funding bills.

“As Senate Appropriations Chair, I work to make sure the federal government’s priorities are Washington state’s priorities—these funding bills reflect my efforts to put Washington state first,” said Senator Murray. “I had to work under really tough fiscal constraints, but by managing to negotiate full-year funding bills we delivered important wins for Washington state and protected so many federal programs working people rely on—from lifesaving nutrition programs like WIC to housing and infrastructure funding that our state is counting on.

“Whether it was protecting funding for Puget Sound restoration efforts, supporting the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan, delivering a record investment for Hanford cleanup, or securing a down payment on the Howard Hanson dam fish passage facility—I made sure no corner of Washington state was left behind as I wrote these funding bills.

“I took the voices of Hanford workers, moms relying on WIC, Tribal members fighting to save our salmon, farmers in the Tri-Cities—voices from every single part of Washington state—directly to the negotiating table with me as I fought to make sure they were heard in our government spending bills.”

Senator Murray secured $4.79 billion in total funding for Washington state, which does not include funding for national programs that will later be allocated on a competitive or formula-specific basis. This includes $1.568 billion for projects and activities in Washington, $3.035 billion for the Hanford site, and $188.418 million in Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) for local projects across Washington state in the six final funding bills that comprise the package. A full, searchable list of funded CDS projects is available HERE.

Highlights, key provisions, and funding Senator Murray secured in each of the six funding bills are below:

Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA, and Related Agencies Bill

“I’m proud to have protected WIC funding so that moms and babies in Washington state won’t have to suffer the stress and harm of losing access to the lifesaving nutritional support and essential health care services WIC provide,” said Senator Murray. “My bill also delivers full funding for other critical nutrition programs, including the new, permanent Summer EBT program I established which will go into effect this year and benefit more than half a million kids in Washington state. This bill delivers for Washington state farmers and protects key investments for rural communities in our state—whether it’s national funding for agricultural research, so much of which happens right at WSU, or the local funding I secured for the public safety radio networks in Kittitas and Okanogan counties.”

Senator Murray secured:

• Full funding for WIC—protecting essential nutrition assistance and benefits for nearly 7 million women and kids nationwide, including 131,139 mothers, children, and infants in Washington state. Just last month, at a roundtable she hosted in Seattle, Senator Murray reiterated her resolute commitment to continuing to fully fund the program in the face of House Republicans’ proposed cuts that would force states to deny benefits to eligible families.
• Full funding for child nutrition programs—including the new, permanent Summer EBT program Murray established that will help 507,000 children across Washington state get summer grocery benefits.
• $44 million more for the Agricultural Research Service, including $6.3 million forcritical research that helps Washington state farmers, much of which takes place at Washington State University. In addition to ongoing research activities, the bill provides the following increases for Washington state:
  • $500,000 for research into Little Cherry Disease.
  • $1 million for research into livestock resiliency, specifically functional genomic strategies to address disease resistance and worsening climate conditions.
  • $1 million for research into 6PPD, a compound in rubber tires which University of Washington and Washington State University researchers have shown shown to be toxic to coho salmon once oxidized.
  • $1.3 million to research control of nematodes, one of the most costly pests and challenges for potato growers in the Pacific Northwest.
  • $500,000 for research into pulse crop quality.
• $7 million for FDA to regulate cosmetics for the first time ever—after Senator Murray negotiated and secured passage of landmark reforms to better protect consumers from unsafe cosmetics.
• $50 million for the 21st Century Cures Act that Murray co-authored to advance biomedical research and innovation for patients and families.

Senator Murray also secured $8.45 million for 4 CDS projects in the bill, which are listed HERE.

A full summary of the bill Senator Murray negotiated is available HERE.

Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Bill

“Washington state is at the forefront of so much groundbreaking research and innovation—whether it’s quantum computing in Bothell, clean energy in the Tri-Cities at PNNL, or aerospace work in Kirkland and across Western Washington—this bill will propel the innovation happening in our state,” said Senator Murray. “I worked hard to protect funding at NOAA to support our fisheries and save our salmon. I was able to prioritize funding to prevent violence against women and support survivors especially on Tribal lands, a longtime priority of mine. And I am proud to deliver the first federal funding for the Access to Sexual Assault Nurse Exams program I worked so hard to champion with Leah Griffin to help survivors get the care and examinations they need to pursue justice.”

Senator Murray secured:

• Key funding for salmon recovery and habitat restoration:
  • $75 million for the Pacific Salmon account at the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), a $3 million increase over FY23 funding levels. This funding is critical to support the agency’s work with Endangered Species Act-listed Pacific salmon species.
  • $65 million for the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, which provides funds to states and Tribes to protect and restore Pacific salmon and steelhead populations.
  • $65.25 million for Salmon Management Activities at NMFS, which supports NOAA’s hatchery operations and international treaty agreements.
  • $1.5 million in new funding for management, intervention, and mitigation of invasive European Green Crab.
  • $1 million to support the Northwest Straits Initiative, a community-led effort to restore marine habitats in the Northwest Straits region. This funding continues a longstanding effort of Senator Murray to restore and protect Puget Sound for generations to come.
• $713 million—the highest funding level ever—for grants to prevent violence against women and better support survivors, especially Native women on Tribal lands. This funding is provided under the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) and includes:
  • $10 million for a new grant program—established by Senator Murray—to increase access to sexual assault nurse exams. This funding will support grants for regional Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) training, salaries for SANEs and Sexual Assault Forensic Examiners (SAFEs), and technical assistance and resources to increase access to SANEs and SAFEs.
• $9.06 billion for the National Science Foundation to continue promoting American competitiveness through scientific discovery, and to continue the momentum of the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act.
• $24.9 billion for NASA to continue the country’s—and Washington state’s—leadership in space exploration and technologies. This funding includes:
  • $7.216 billion for Deep Space Exploration and the continued development of the Human Landing System for the Artemis missions.
  • $2.5 million for a new consortium within the Biological and Physical Sciences. Senator Murray has been pushing for NASA to expand its footprint into the Pacific Northwest to capitalize on the growth in aerospace innovation happening in Washington state.
• $41 million for Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs that can support additional planning and implementation grants, including for designees like the Aerospace Materials Manufacturing hub in Spokane. 
• Protects funding for the Legal Services Corporation (LSC)—providing $560 million, level with the FY23 enacted level. LSC is the largest funder of civil legal aid in the country.

Senator Murray also secured $30.833 million for 13 CDS projects in the bill, which are listed HERE.

A full summary of the bill Senator Murray negotiated is available HERE.

Energy and Water Development Bill

“As Senate Appropriations Chair, I made certain the federal government would make good on its obligation to support the important job being done by the workers at Hanford—I am proud we are delivering a record amount of funding in this bill for Hanford cleanup,” said Senator Murray. “This bill also supports all of Washington state’s ports and harbors—with a historic investment in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund and changes I authored to help our ports get their fair share of these federal resources. I made sure to provide funding to stay the course on critical work being undertaken by the Army Corps of Engineers like the construction of the Howard Hanson Dam fish passage facility. My bill also supports so much of the groundbreaking research and innovation happening at PNNL and critical water resources projects in our state like the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan.”

Senator Murray secured:

• $3.035 billion for Hanford—$198 million above last year’s funding level. This amount includes $1.042 billion for Richland operations (a $35.4 million increase over fiscal year 2023) and $1.89 billion for the Office of River Protection (a $159.6 million increase over fiscal year 2023).
• $378.7 million for Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation projects across Washington state, including CDS projects:
  • An initial $50 million investment in the construction of the Howard Hanson Dam Fish Passage facility; and
  • $38 million for the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan to support a thriving river basin.
• A historic $2.77 billion for the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund—a longtime priority for Senator Murray—to invest in our nation’s port and waterway infrastructure, including in Washington state.
• Report language explicitly directing the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to fully implement language Senator Murray championed in the 2020 Water Resources Development Act that requires the Corps to provide additional funding to Donor and Energy Transfer ports, which contribute more to the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund than they can access. Seattle and Tacoma are both Donor ports and this language will help them get their fair share from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund. This is in addition to $58 million in discretionary funding for Donor and Energy Transfer ports, a $2 million increase over the fiscal year 2023 level, also authorized by Senator Murray in the 2020 Water Resources Development Act.
• $140 million more for the Office of Science at the Department of Energy, which supports cutting-edge research at our national laboratories and more than 300 universities, including at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and universities across Washington state.
• $65 million for PNNL’s Environmental and Molecular Sciences Laboratory and $10 million for construction of PNNL’s new Microbial Molecular Phenotyping Capability project.
• $200 million for the Water Power Technologies Office, a $21 million increase over fiscal year 2023. Increased funding will support ongoing infrastructure improvement projects at PNNL’s Marine and Coastal Research Laboratory in Sequim and continue the Powering the Blue Economy Initiative.

Senator Murray also secured $25.447 million for 7 CDS projects in the bill, which are listed HERE.

A full summary of the bill Senator Murray negotiated is available HERE.

Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Bill

“I made sure we delivered on the pay raises our federal wildland firefighters have earned and I worked hard to impress upon my colleagues the importance of increasing investments in our efforts to prevent and fight wildfires,” said Senator Murray. “We have made such incredible progress to protect our natural resources here in Washington state, so I am really glad I was able to protect essential resources for Puget Sound restoration efforts—especially considering how drastically House Republicans were determined to slash investments to core environmental and conservation programs. Importantly, this legislation supports Tribal communities and families all across Washington state—including by continuing to provide advance appropriations so the Indian Health Service can serve patients with certainty. Moreover, this legislation will support vital water infrastructure needs everywhere in the state, from Seattle to Mattawa.”

Senator Murray secured:

• Funding to protect critical pay raises for federal firefighters as wildfire seasons grows longer and more severe by the year.
• Full funding for essential wildfire preparedness and suppression efforts to prevent and suppress fires, including in Washington state.
• $54 million for the EPA’s Puget Sound Geographic Program—protecting key funding for the program, including for the Puget Sound Recovery National Program Office, which was newly authorized in the FY23 NDAA. This office, and a corresponding Puget Sound Federal Leadership Task Force, will work to implement salmon recovery plans, protect Tribal treaty rights, and reduce pollution in the region.
• $905,000 for the San Juan Island National Historical Park—for the acquisition of 26 acres adjacent to existing protected sites. 
• $6 million for Willapa National Wildlife Refuge—for the acquisition of 1,929 acres in Pacific County.
• $19 million for Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest—for the acquisition of checkerboarded acreage near the I-90 corridor in Kittitas County.
• $14 million for the Mt. Adams Forest Project—for conservation easements on working forestlands in Klickitat County.
• $1.285 million for the Regional Fisheries Enhancement Groups in Washington state through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
• Report language directing the Bureau of Indian Affairs and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to coordinate with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to ensure a comprehensive federal approach to addressing the threat posed by European Green Crabs, mitigate harm, and protect salmon along with native crab and other shellfish populations.

Senator Murray also secured $20.485 million for 7 CDS projects in the bill, which are listed HERE.

A full summary of the bill Senator Murray negotiated is available HERE.

Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Bill

“I am so proud to have been able to write a bill that will deliver record investments in women veteran’s health care, along with resources to help end veterans’ homelessness and expand access to mental health services for veterans,” said Senator Murray. “This legislation builds on the resources needed to implement the Caregivers program I worked so hard to expand and it will continue to build on the child care pilot program at VA I first established so many years ago. While this legislation also makes necessary investments in military construction across the world, I made certain that we would also dedicate significant funding to support our servicemembers and military families by constructing better military housing, new child care centers, and more here at home.”

Senator Murray, Chair of the Military Construction-VA Subcommittee, secured $551 million in funding for specific veterans and military construction projects across Washington state (which does not include funding for national programs that will later be allocated on a competitive or formula-specific basis):

• $100 million for barracks at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
• $195 million for Shipyard Electrical Backbone at Naval Base Kitsap/Puget Sound Shipyard.
• $62 million for SOF Consolidated Parachute Rigging Facility at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
• $71 million for Bulk Storage Tanks, Phase 2 at Defense Fuel Supply Point Manchester.
• $45 million for the American Lake VAMC renovation costs.
• $78 million for Phase 3 of the Tahoma National Cemetery gravesite development.

In the bill, Murray also secured language authorizing the transfer of $19 million in funding to construct an additional 88 family-style homes for servicemembers and their families stationed at Naval Station Everett. The housing will be constructed on existing military property at Smokey Point in Snohomish County. 

Senator Murray also secured the following national funding priorities that are particularly important to Washington state, including:

• Record investments in women veterans’ health care—providing $990 million, $150 million more than fiscal year 2023, for gender-specific health care services, as well as initiatives and improvements to healthcare facilities.
• $2.4 billion to help VA implement the caregivers program Murray helped establish and extend legacy participant eligibility and benefits through 2025—which is $556 million more than fiscal year 2023.
• $16.2 billion to get veterans the mental health services they deserve—$2.3 billion more than in fiscal year 2023.
• $3.1 billion to combat veteran homelessness and support veterans and their families experiencing housing insecurity—$418 million more than in fiscal year 2023.
• $23 million to expand the VA’s Child Care Pilot Program to eliminate barriers for veterans in need of child care while attending medical appointments.
• $277 million to establish six new child development centers and $59.5 million above the President’s budget request for the design of additional child development centers to expand access to child care for military families.

Senator Murray also secured $31.06 million for 5 CDS projects in the bill, which are listed HERE.

A full summary of the bill Senator Murray negotiated is available HERE.

Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Bill

“Given the housing and homelessness crisis in Washington state, I believe there is so much more that we have to do to ensure every person has a safe place to call home and a roof over their head—but our legislation rejects drastic cuts proposed by House Republicans and protects vital funding people in our state are counting on,” said Senator Murray. “Moreover, Democrats delivered record investments to rebuild and improve infrastructure in every community, this bill manages to sustain funding for critical funding to ensure Washington state can keep moving forward. In particular, I fought hard to protect funding for public transit and maintain grant programs our communities rely on the most. And while it wasn’t easy, I was able to secure millions more for the Passenger Ferry Grant Program and include language to ensure Washington State Ferries can apply for the Rural Ferry Grant program for the first time ever.”

“I am especially proud of the Congressionally Directed Spending that will help build more housing like the Aurora Senior Housing development for seniors in Seattle, support local infrastructure projects like the elevation of Slater Road for the Lummi Nation, and the construction of child care facilities for communities like the Spokane Tribe or at the Cora Whitley Family Center in Tacoma.”

Senator Murray secured:

• A record $1.344 billion for Native American Programs, including $1.111 billion for the Native American Housing Block Grant formula program, a $324 million increase over fiscal year 2023. Tribes across Washington state use this flexible program to provide rental assistance, build affordable housing, and provide supportive services.
• $4.05 billion for the Homeless Assistance Grants Program, an increase of $418 million over fiscal year 2023. The bill includes funding to provide direct technical assistance to communities that are leveraging other funds, like Medicaid, to connect individuals experiencing homelessness to housing-related services and behavioral healthcare—including a program recently announced in Washington state.
• $3.3 billion for the Community Development Block Grant Program, a popular, flexible funding source for state and local governments to carry out community and economic development activities.
• $20 million for the Eviction Prevention Grant Program, which works to expand the reach of legal services to low-income tenants at risk of—or subject to—eviction and adds much-needed legal capacity to underserved rural communities.
• $140.5 million for the Family Self-Sufficiency Program, a $15.5 million boost over fiscal year 2023, to renew service coordinators that help Section 8 and public housing residents achieve self-sufficiency and economic independence. This program has been used by a number of housing authorities in Washington state to help families access services including job training, employment counseling, financial literacy, and homeownership counseling.
• $30 million for the Family Unification Program, which provides Housing Choice vouchers to low-income families whose lack of adequate housing is a primary factor in the imminent placement of a child into foster care.
• $2.2 billion for the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment Grants program.
  • $250.746M million for the Lynnwood Link Light Rail Extension, this funding will complete the Full Funding Grant Agreement for the Sound Transit Lynnwood Link Light Rail Extension.
• $1.25 billion for the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, the largest federal block grant to states and local governments to expand the supply and affordability of housing to low-income people.
• $21 million for the Passenger Ferry Grant Program, a $6 million increase over fiscal year 2023, through which Washington State Ferries has successfully competed for funding.
• $20 million for the Ferry Service for Rural Communities Program, and language that ensures Washington State Ferries can compete for these funds on their rural routes for the first time since the program was established in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
• $8.81 billion for the Public Housing Fund, a $296.8 million increase over fiscal year 2023. This funding supports the capital and operating needs of public housing for more than 960,000 housing units, including improving the quality and safety of public housing.
• $32.4 billion for tenant-based rental assistance, $2.1 billion above fiscal year 2023, to continue to serve more than 2.3 million very low- and extremely low-income households nationwide.
• $16 billion for project-based rental assistance, an increase of $1.1 billion above last year’s funding level, to continue to house more than 1.3 million very low- and low-income households nationwide.

Senator Murray also secured $72.143 million for 23 CDS projects in the bill, which are listed HERE.

A full summary of the bill Senator Murray negotiated is availableHERE.

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