Crist Retains Seat on Powerful Appropriations Committee

January 27, 2021

Contact: Samantha Ramirez

(202) 893-0094

Crist Retains Seat on Powerful Appropriations Committee

Tapped to Join Veterans Funding Subcommittee

Washington, DC - Congressman Charlie Crist (D-St. Petersburg) has once again been selected to serve on the powerful House Committee on Appropriations for the 117th Congress. Rep. Crist will serve on three House Appropriations Subcommittees with jurisdiction on issues critical to Pinellas and Florida - Defense; Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies; and Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies.

The Appropriations Committee is the pre-eminent committee in the House of Representatives, with the broadest jurisdiction and control of spending. It is responsible for allocating funding and resources for most of the functions of the federal government, including protecting our national security, taking care of our veterans, mitigating the effects of climate change, funding innovative health research, improving our infrastructure, and improving access to capital for Pinellas businesses.

Crist has been a member of the Appropriations Committee since 2019, delivering funding wins for Pinellas including $13 million for research and mitigation efforts against red tide and other harmful algal blooms, $25 million for veteran treatment courts to get veterans into treatment instead of jail, and $5 million to get veterans into cutting-edge clinical trials at National Cancer Institutes like Moffit Cancer Center in Tampa - just last year alone!

"I'm proud to continue serving my bosses, the people of Florida's 13th Congressional District, through my role on the Appropriations Committee. I'm especially thankful to be the newest member on the subcommittee overseeing funding on some of the most critical programs for our neighbors - like improving military family housing and expanding assistance for veterans - under the leadership of my friend and colleague Chairwoman Wasserman Shultz," said Rep. Crist. "On this Committee, I will continue fighting to better the lives of Pinellas families, small business owners, and veterans. Ready to get to work to deliver on the issues that matter most to my constituents."

Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Jurisdiction:

Department of Defense, Military Construction, Army, Navy (including Marine Corps), Air Force, Defense-Wide, and Guard and Reserve Forces, Chemical Demilitarization Construction, Defense-Wide, Military Family Housing Construction and Operation and Maintenance, Army, Navy (including Marine Corps), Air Force, and Defense-Wide, Family Housing Improvement Fund, Military Unaccompanied Housing Improvement Fund, Homeowners Assistance Fund, Base Realignment, Closure Accounts NATO Security Investment Program, Department of Veterans Affairs, American Battle Monuments Commission, Armed Forces Retirement Home, Department of Defense, Civil, Cemeterial Expenses, Army, and U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.

In addition to funding for the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System, based in Florida's 13th Congressional District, this subcommittee oversees military family housing assistance, operations, and maintenance, an important issue for MacDill Air Force Base families living in base housing. Congressman Crist has been vocal in championing reform for base housing after reports of mold and other hazardous conditions. This Subcommittee also funds programs to protect and treat veterans, including a Rep. Crist initiative to increase access to clinical trials.

Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Jurisdiction:

Departments of Army, Navy (including Marine Corps), Air Force, Office of Secretary of Defense, and Defense Agencies including activities related to military personnel; operation and maintenance; procurement; research and development; and the Military Health System.

Pinellas County is home to over 800 defense companies and their employees, supporting our national defense and nearby MacDill Air Force Base.

Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Jurisdiction:

Department of Commerce (including the National Weather Service and NOAA), Department of Justice, NASA, National Science Foundation, Commission on Civil Rights, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, International Trade Commission, Legal Services Corporation, Marine Mammal Commission, Office of Science and Technology Policy, Office of the United States Trade Representative, and State Justice Institute.

NOAA oversees fisheries and harmful algae bloom research funding, and the Department of Justice includes veterans treatment court programs and federal marijuana policy, all issues impacting Pinellas County and Florida that Crist has championed in Congress.