December 23, 2022

Rep. Sara Jacobs Secures Wins for San Diego, Children in Omnibus; Votes Yes

Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (CA-53) voted today to pass the omnibus package that funds the federal government and includes her provisions of $16 million for 14 San Diego community projects, $300 million to address the Tijuana River Valley crisis, $800 million for cities like San Diego to care for migrants and asylum seekers, a $1.85 billion increase to expand child care access to low-income families, and more. The package now heads to President Biden’s desk for his signature.


Congresswoman Sara Jacobs said:


“Bringing federal dollars home to San Diego is one of my most important responsibilities – so I’m proud to have secured more than $16 million for 14 San Diego projects that span the 53rd district. These community projects tackle many of our most pressing local needs – from addressing the child care crisis to supporting children and expanding health care access.


“Finding affordable child care in San Diego is nearly impossible. Too many families are paying more than 40% of their income on child care – and that’s if they’re lucky enough to find availability. That’s why I’m so glad to have secured nearly $6 million to address our local child care crisis by training child care workers, strengthening the early childhood education training pipeline, and expanding access to child care for City of San Diego employees and military families. I also led more than half the Democratic Caucus to push for the highest possible funding for CCDBG, securing a $1.85 billion increase to expand child care access to low-income families in San Diego and across the country. 


“For over three decades, wastewater, trash, and other pollutants have flowed through the Tijuana River Valley, plaguing both sides of the border. In 2019, our San Diego congressional delegation secured $300 million to address this crisis, but bureaucratic red tape has prevented these funds from getting to our community. I’m proud that Congressman Vargas and I fixed this technicality and that these funds can finally be spent to quickly and effectively clean up the Tijuana River. As we continue to push for comprehensive immigration reform, it’s so important that we care for immigrants and asylum seekers and treat them with dignity and respect. I secured $800 million for cities like San Diego to help provide the basics like food, shelter, and first aid to those who’ve fled natural disasters, conflict, and violence.”


Congresswoman Sara Jacobs’ Wins in the Omnibus:


Securing over $16 Million for 14 San Diego Community Projects:

  • $100,000 for the Adulting for Higher Schoolers: Engaging Students in Career Exploration and Preparation for Life

  • $220,000 for San Diego County’s Behavioral Modification Program for At-Risk Youth

  • $580,000 for the University of San Diego’s Violence, Inequality, and Power (VIP) Lab Fellows Program

  • $752,000 for the El Cajon Behavioral Health Center Renovation and Expansion

  • $2,000,000 for the City of San Diego's Municipal Workforce Child Care Pilot Program

  • $1,200,000 for the No Shots Fired

  • $2,024,846 for the San Diego Armed Services YMCA Center for Military Families Infrastructure Improvement Project

  • $1,200,000 for the San Diego Community College District’s LGBTQIA+ Pride Centers

  • $3,750,000 for San Diego County’s Twin-Engine Firefighting Helicopter

  • $524,972 for San Diego State University’s Bridge: Early Childhood Mental Health Program

  • $250,000 for San Diego’s Community Information Exchange (CIE)

  • $800,000 for the City of San Diego's Summer for All of Us – Come Play Outside Expansion

  • $1,095,000 for the University of California, San Diego's Health CommUnity Mobile Unit

  • $1,600,000 for the University of California, San Diego's Convergence – A Partnership to Increase Access to Affordable Child Care in San Diego


Delivering on San Diego Priorities:

  • Secured a legislative fix authorizing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to transfer $300 million to the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) for the San Diego region to address the cross-border pollution flowing through the Tijuana River Valley

  • Secured $800 million for FEMA’s Emergency Food and Shelter humanitarian program to help cities like San Diego care for migrants and asylum seekers through shelter, food, transportation, basic health and first aid, COVID-19 testing, the construction and expansion of shelters, and more


Addressing Child Poverty and the Child Care Crisis:

  • Helped secure a $1.85 billion increase for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), as a result of her efforts leading more than half the Democratic Caucus in calling for the highest possible funding level for CCDBG to address the nation’s child care crisis

  • Directed funding to the U.S. Census Bureau to create more frequent and timely measures of poverty and material hardship, including measures focused on child poverty and children and family well-being – a critical step in determining the size and scale of these crises in order to tackle them. This funding results from Congresswoman Jacobs’ efforts urging House Appropriations leaders to prioritize these measures


Moving Forward on War Crimes Accountability:

  • Secured language allowing the U.S. to provide assistance to the International Criminal Court (ICC)’s investigation into the Situation in Ukraine, in line with Congresswoman Jacobs’ bipartisan Investigate Russian War Crimes Act, which she introduced with Congresswoman Victoria Spartz


Reducing and Ensuring Transparency of Civilian Harm:

  • Provided $42 million to implement the Department of Defense’s Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan


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