Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village) released the following statement on U.S. House of Representatives passage of two Fiscal Year 2020 appropriations bills (H.R. 1158 and H.R. 1865):
“The bipartisan funding bills the House passed today make critical investments that will greatly benefit Ventura County, including funds for critical defense programs and servicemembers at Naval Base Ventura County, funding for dredging Channel Islands Harbor, and donor port funds for the Port of Hueneme – key economic drivers and job creators in our community. The bills also provide authorizations for Ventura’s WaterPure project and extend critical disaster tax assistance for those affected by the Woolsey Fire.
“I am also pleased that the funding bills include provisions from two bills that I authored to make it easier for Ventura County families to achieve and maintain homeownership – the Mortgage Insurance Tax Deduction Act, extending the tax deduction for mortgage insurance premiums, and the Mortgage Debt Tax Forgiveness Act, extending the income tax exclusion for mortgage debt forgiveness.
“These bills also include critical funding to protect and secure our election systems and funding for gun violence prevention research for the first time in 20 years. The bills will strengthen our nation’s infrastructure including our drinking and sewer systems, roads, and transit systems, support our public health safety net, expand access to health care programs, carry out life-saving cancer research, invest in our schools and young people, and increase access and improve care for veterans, including critical provisions that I fought for to help veterans with service-connected disabilities become parents through IVF or adoption.
“While I’m disappointed we weren’t able to do more to stop the President’s incoherent border wall obsession and attacks on Planned Parenthood, I will continue to work with my colleagues to address these issues going forward.”
Issues: 116th Congress, Budget