Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon today voted to pass H.R. 2471, government funding legislation for Fiscal Year 2022. The legislation’s transformative investments will help working families with the cost of living, create American jobs, and support the vulnerable. The appropriations package includes nearly $8.5 million in Community Project Funding for PA-05 that Scanlon previously secured, as well as $676.6 million for other projects that will directly benefit the district — totaling more than $685 million. 

“I came to Congress to fight for the residents of PA-05, and I am thrilled about all this bill will deliver for my constituents,” said Rep. Scanlon. “The new government funding package addresses some of our nation’s biggest challenges while investing in America’s middle class. It also delivers more than half a billion dollars in much-needed funding for projects that respond directly to some of the most pressing needs in the greater Philadelphia region — jobs and economic development, climate resilience, accessing treatment for opioid use disorder, and improving mental health resources during emergency situations. I am incredibly proud to have fought for funding that will make our community healthier, safer, stronger, and even more resilient.”

The government funding legislation includes significant investments to:

• Help Working Families with the Cost of Living – Reduces costs by expanding child care and early learning programs to more working families, investing in America’s K-12 public schools, making college more affordable, expanding access to homeownership, and bringing the promise of rural broadband to more communities.
• Create American Jobs – Creates good-paying American jobs, puts people to work rebuilding our infrastructure, helps small businesses grow and thrive, fosters the green energy jobs of tomorrow, and supports high-quality job training and apprenticeship programs so every American can contribute and succeed.
• Support the Vulnerable – Supports the vulnerable by meeting Americans’ basic needs, strengthening nutrition assistance, funding more affordable housing, cracking down on gender-based violence, and increasing legal aid funding.

The legislation also addresses some of our nation’s biggest challenges:

• Protects Our National Security – Protects our national security with robust funding for defense, diplomacy and global development, a strong focus on cybersecurity, and investments in responsible border and maritime security that keeps us safe and respects the rights and dignity of migrants.
• Confronts the Climate Crisis – Confronts the existential threat of climate change through a renewed focus on environmental enforcement, pioneering funding for environmental justice, and historic investments in clean energy and climate science.
• Strengthens Public Health – Strengthens health care in America by rebuilding our public health infrastructure, investing in lifesaving biomedical research, and confronting urgent health crises — including maternal health, mental health, substance misuse, and gun violence. 

In addition, the legislation includes Community Project Funding secured by Scanlon that will directly benefit PA-05 residents:

• Bartram’s Garden Community Watershed Education and Freshwater Mussel Hatchery ($925,000) – Construction of a watershed education center and a production hatchery for native freshwater mussels to serve as natural water filters.
• Chester Medical Facility Expansion Project ($1 million) – AIDS Care Group will improve access to opioid use disorder and mental health treatments in Chester by adding capacity at its Center for Integrative Medicine.
• Darby Free Library Restoration and Resilience Initiative ($981,562) – Renovations to the historic structure will lower operating costs by installing energy-efficient solar panels, make the library accessible to patrons with disabilities, and repair the failing roof and gutters.
• Delaware County Community Partnering Program ($475,000) – Empower neighborhoods and build community through the deployment of micro-grants, averaging around $25,000 each. 
• Delaware County Mobile Crisis Teams ($650,000) – Enhance efforts to address the mental and behavioral health challenges of residents who might otherwise find themselves in the criminal justice system.
• F. Amedee Bregy Schoolyard Improvement Project ($425,000) – Transformation of a paved, asphalt schoolyard that increases urban heat, flooding, and safety concerns into a climate-resilient, community space.
• Historic Lansdowne Theater Restoration ($1.5 million) – Rehabilitation of the Lansdowne Theater into a regional concert hall will spur investment in the surrounding community.
• Philadelphia Navy Yard Workforce Development Initiatives Program ($525,000) – Program to identify, train, and connect unemployed and underemployed adults to quality wage employment — increasing stability and economic opportunity for working Philadelphians.
• PhilaWorks Workforce Training for Formerly Incarcerated Philadelphians ($1 million) – Transitional work experience to provide formerly incarcerated participants with the knowledge, experience, and training necessary to build lasting attachments to the workforce and become permanently employed.
• Upper Darby Community Center Green Roof ($975,000) – Transformation of a completely paved corner parcel of a densely suburban area into much-needed green space within a new multi-story community center.

Other appropriations wins for PA-05 include: 

• $286 million to build five additional Chinook helicopters, including $47.5 million for advance procurement, supporting jobs at the Boeing facility in Ridley Park.
• $5 million for continued development of the Aerial Reconfigurable Embedded System, constructed by Piasecki Aircraft in Essington.
• $380.6 million to construct a fifth National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV) at Philly Shipyard as part of a contract with the U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration to replace the aging fleet of training vessels at five state maritime academies.
• $5 million for preliminary ship design of a next-generation hospital ship, using the NSMV (being built at Philly Shipyard) as the basis. If the Navy determines that the modified NSMV is feasible, Philly Shipyard will be well positioned to secure future contracts for that ship.
• Updated legislative language to allow Philadelphia International Airport to be reimbursed for expenses incurred while supporting Operation Allies Welcome, which successfully aided the evacuation of tens of thousands of Afghan refugees. 

H.R. 2471 provides $1.5 trillion in discretionary resources across the 12 fiscal year 2022 appropriations bills. It furthers House Democrats’ commitment to investing For The People with substantial increases to non-defense funding and an end to Trump-era budgets that held the American people back. In addition to the 12 fiscal year 2022 appropriations bills, the funding legislation contains a supplemental funding bill, providing $13.6 billion to support Ukraine. A detailed summary of the legislation is available here.

Next week, the House is slated to pass a separate bill fulfilling President Biden’s request for $15 billion in funding to continue fighting COVID-19 across the world and protect against new variants.

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