The late Sen. Dianne Feinstein managed to secure about $1 billion in funding for various community projects in her home state before her death last year, The Washington Examiner reports.
Over the weekend, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., released an appropriations package that combines six bills to fund the government through the rest of the fiscal year. This package includes almost $1.1 billion in earmarks for 265 projects Feinstein submitted, including grant programs and funding to repair fire stations. One project would allocate $194 million to have the Army Corps of Engineers help complete emergency repairs in Santa Cruz, California.
"The purpose of directed funding is to meet important needs in local communities," one Democrat aide, who was not identified, told the Examiner. "Carefully vetted projects that were properly submitted would be assessed on their own merits, even if the Senator or Representative passed away before final enactment of a funding bill."
Feinstein also partnered with California Republican Rep. Young Kim to procure over $700,000 in funding for a nonprofit group that would "strengthen human trafficking collaboration for victims encountering the criminal justice system" in Orange County. Feinstein also worked with Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and Kim to secure $3.4 million for an Opioid Prevention Plan in Orange County.
"Despite our policy differences, I respect Sen. Feinstein’s service to our state and willingness to work across the aisle to get several vital local projects for my district across the finish line," Kim told the Examiner in a statement.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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