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DeLauro: Federal Spending Bill "A Start"

Connecticut Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro
Susan Walsh
/
AP
Connecticut Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro

U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut wants to try and work across the aisle as incoming chair of the appropriations committee, as Congress races to approve a spending bill that includes pandemic relief.DeLauro said she sees her election to the role as a mandate to transcend gridlock and polarization.

“People ask me about my priorities," DeLauro said, "but all of the folks on this committee have priorities. How do we move them in concert to try to get something done?”

DeLauro said her priorities as chair will be climate change -- including green jobs -- along with health care, cybersecurity and racial and social inequality. She says some of these issues are reflected in the $1.4 trillion spending bill just passed by the appropriations committee.

The bill includes funds for child care and affordable housing, a longtime cause for DeLauro. DeLauro said she’s happy with both the $1.4 trillion spending bill and the COVID-19 relief package.

“This is a good start. It’s a strong start. We know that Republicans came grudgingly to the effort, but let’s not lose sight of what good things happened in this package,” DeLauro said.

The spending bill also includes more than $900 million in federal unemployment insurance for states, which DeLauro said will help smooth the way for people to receive unemployment checks. 

Copyright 2020 WSHU

Davis Dunavin loves telling stories, whether on the radio or around the campfire. He fell in love with sound-rich radio storytelling while working as an assistant reporter at KBIA public radio in Columbia, Missouri. Before coming back to radio, he worked in digital journalism as the editor of Newtown Patch. As a freelance reporter, his work for WSHU aired nationally on NPR. Davis is a proud graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism; he started in Missouri and ended up in Connecticut, which, he'd like to point out, is the same geographic trajectory taken by Mark Twain.

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The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

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