{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://sykes.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-sykes-votes-against-republican-cuts-clean-water-infrastructure-and", "Rep. Sykes Votes Against Republican Cuts to Clean Water, Infrastructure, And National Parks", "2023-11-03", "2023", "2023-11", "Democrat", "House", "OH", "Emilia Strong Sykes", "S001223", "sykes.house.gov", "sykes", "https://sykes.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Today, U.S. Representative Emilia Sykes (OH-13) voted against H.R. 4821, the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2024, which includes devastating cuts to clean water infrastructure and national parks, all while hindering our ability to combat the climate crisis and endangering public health.\n\n\u201cAs the Vice Ranking Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, protecting access to clean water is one of my top priorities. H.R. 4821 slashes Ohio\u2019s Clean and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund allocations by 90%, making it harder for people in Ohio\u2019s 13th District to access the clean and safe drinking water they depend on for their livelihoods,\u201d said Rep. Sykes. \u201cAdditionally, H.R. 4821 guts funding for our national parks, including Cuyahoga Valley National Park in our own backyard. Because of the devastating impacts these cuts would have on our district, I voted against this partisan legislation. I hope to see my colleagues on the other side of the aisle come together and promote responsible government spending while supporting policies that protect the future of our environment and our economy.\u201d\n\nHouse Republicans\u2019 H.R. 4821 would cut $1.77 billion from the Clean and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds. Each state\u2019s allocation would be cut by 91.1%, meaning Ohio would lose over $50 million to protect access to clean water. In an effort to improve this legislation, Rep. Sykes led an amendment that was included in the bill with unanimous, bipartisan support highlighting the importance of robust funding for the Clean and Drinking State Revolving Fund.\n\nH.R. 4821 would also cut the National Park Service (NPS) budget by $433 million (nearly 13%) and would significantly undercut NPS\u2019 ability to protect our most precious natural resources and provide services and programs that benefit communities and support local economies throughout the country. Ohio\u2019s 13th Congressional District is home to Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the ninth most visited national park in the United States.\n\nAdditionally, H.R. 4821 takes an aggressive pro-pollution stance with a crippling 39% cut to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and policy provisions that will endanger public health, strain the economy, and increase costs. The legislation also hinders the U.S. response to the climate crisis and fails to address the growing number and severity of extreme weather events by cutting efforts to reduce carbon emissions and community resiliency programs.\n\nHere\u2019s what local stakeholders are saying about H.R. 4821:\n\n\u201cEPA\u2019s State Revolving Fund programs provide essential assistance to help communities nationwide finance critical water infrastructure improvements. Whether it is for replacing lead serving lines, addressing emerging contaminants, or simply repairing aging infrastructure, America\u2019s water systems count on Congress to provide adequate SRF funding. The House\u2019s FY24 Interior-Environment spending bill falls far short in this regard, so AMWA appreciates Congresswoman Sykes\u2019 effort to bring attention to this important issue,\u201d said Tom Dobbins, CEO of the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies.\n\n\u201cNUCA members depend on the State Revolving Funds to build and maintain essential projects that serve Americans all across the United States. Our communities should not be forced to make hard choices about who can and cannot have their water infrastructure needs met, and this bill will force them to do just that. NUCA thanks Congresswoman Sykes for offering her amendment recognizing the importance of the State Revolving Funds and calls on Congress to fully restore annual funding to these programs in the final bill,\u201d said Doug Carlson, Chief Executive Officer, National Utility Contractors Association.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://sykes.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-sykes-votes-against-republican-cuts-clean-water-infrastructure-and"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4720289036631584, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}