Appropriations Committee:

Directing Funding to Fundamental Needs

In 2007, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee selected me to serve on the powerful U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations. I am proud to serve on the following subcommittees:

• Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education
• Commerce, Justice, and Science
• Legislative Branch

Each year, the Congress adopts a Budget Resolution for the fiscal year that lays out its spending, revenue, borrowing, and economic goals. After the Budget Resolution is adopted, the Appropriations committee determines the amount of funding that will be appropriated for federal programs and executive branch agencies. You can see the current status of appropriations bills or view the projects for which I have requested appropriations in this year’s appropriations bills.

You can learn about the appropriations process in these reports from the Congressional Research Service:

• Earmarks and Limitations in Appropriations Bills
• The Congressional Appropriations Process
• Overview of the Authorization-Appropriations Process

I believe my life experiences have prepared me well to serve on the committee. I came to Congress with more than a decade of experience in local and state government, and more than thirty years of service as an educator and administrator. This experience has shown me how the appropriations priorities set by Congress impact what state and local officials and public servants are able to do for their communities. As a member of the Appropriations Committee, I will fight to make sure that we address the needs of states, communities and families such as:

• access to affordable healthcare
• worker training
• port and border security
• adequate law enforcement to keep our streets and neighborhoods safe
• health care for our veterans
• recovery from natural disasters, particularly Hurricane Katrina
• education, particularly fully funding No Child Left Behind and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
• keeping our nation competitive in the global economy through science and technology

As Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, I am also honored to bring the only Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) voice to the Committee. AAPIs are a growing portion of our nation’s population, and they have gone for too long without representation on the committee that sets our nation’s funding priorities.