WASHINGTON – Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-03) today voted to pass the Continuing Appropriations and Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act.

“I am pleased to vote for a continuing resolution to keep the government open through mid-December without controversial permitting reform provisions that would have had detrimental impacts on frontline and environmental justice communities,” said Rep. Grijalva. “This legislation includes critical funding to help communities across the United States recover from hurricanes, drought, wildfire and other natural disasters. It will help lower energy costs for working families impacted by inflation. Additional aid is included to help the Ukrainian people in their fight for democracy. While extremist Republicans continue to play games and assert a political agenda that will raise costs, give tax cuts to the rich and put profit and politicians over people, Democrats continue to work for lower costs, better-paying jobs and safer, sustainable communities.”

Rep. Grijalva recently led a successful effort to stop Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) from attaching controversial permitting reforms in the continuing resolution which would have given fossil fuel companies kickbacks and undermined bedrock foundational environmental protection laws for frontline communities. Grijalva sent a letter with 76 other members to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) urging them to keep the permitting rider out of the Continuing Resolution. Chair Grijalva also published an opinion piece in August explaining his opposition to the permitting rider.

The Continuing Appropriations and Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023, provides resources to help hardworking families tackle rising costs and recover from recent natural disasters, including:

• $1 billion for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to help address pressure on low-income households’ pocketbooks due to inflation.
• Language that allows the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to obligate up to the full year amount available under the CR for the Disaster Relief Fund if needed to respond to declared disasters, such as Hurricane Ian in Florida, Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico and a severe storm, flooding, and landslides in Alaska.
• $2 billion for the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery program to aid the long-term housing, infrastructure, and economic recovery needs of communities impacted by disasters in 2021 and 2022.
• $2.5 billion to help New Mexico communities recover from the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire, the largest wildfire in the state’s history.

More information on the Continuing Appropriations and Ukraine Supplemental Act is available here.