Training America’s Workforce Act

Mr. President, today I am introducing the Weatherization Assistance Program Improvements Act, which will make critical updates to ensure this important program can effectively serve even more households across the country.

Since 1976, the Weatherization Assistance Program has helped more than 7 million low-income families reduce their energy bills by making their homes more energy efficient. The Department of Energy estimates that these upgrades help each household save $283 in energy bills annually. Those energy savings free up limited financial resources for essentials, like groceries and medicine.

In addition to traditional services like attic and wall insulation, the program also provides services that help with home health and safety measures, such as installing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Energy efficient homes also help cut down on our carbon footprint, reducing the greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change.

An independent study of the Weatherization Assistance Program by Oak Ridge National Laboratory found that children in weatherized households miss less school, improving educational outcomes. Adults miss less work, increasing both their own incomes and their contributions to the economy. Families also reported experiencing fewer flu and cold symptoms and emergency room visits, decreasing costly medical expenses.

The Weatherization Assistance Program also helps boost our economy. The program supports over 8,500 jobs for energy experts and contractors, while increasing our national economic output by $1.2 billion.

The program is a win-win for all involved. That is why, as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I have led my colleagues in supporting strong funding for it every year. And that is why I am introducing this bill--to ensure it continues to work for years to come.

This bill, which is cosponsored by Senators Collins, Coons, and Shaheen, will help expand the program to many more low-income households that are currently unable to receive weatherization services because their homes are not structurally sound. The bill will authorize a Weatherization Readiness Fund, providing $65 million a year for 5 years to repair structural issues and prepare homes for weatherization assistance, increasing the number of homes the program is able to serve.

At the same time, it will raise the amount of funding allowed to be spent on each home to keep up with current labor and material costs, and it will raise the cap on the amount of funding allowed to be spent on renewable energy upgrades in each home. These provisions are essential updates to a program that has helped so many families over the past few decades.

I urge my colleagues to join us in supporting this commonsense legislation.

Mr. President, today I am pleased to introduce, along with the Senator from Pennsylvania, Mr. Casey, the Junior Senator from Delaware, Mr. Coons, the Senator from New Jersey, Mr. Booker, the Senator from New Jersey, Mr. Menendez, and the Senator from New York, Mr. Schumer, the Delaware River Basin Conservation Reauthorization Act of 2022.

The Delaware River Basin Conservation Act became law as part of the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act of 2016. This legislation, which I was proud to lead, responded to the need for Federal, State, and local governments and regional partners to come together to identify, prioritize, and implement restoration activities within the Delaware River Basin. The legislation also created a nonregulatory grant program for which appropriations have flowed through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation has done an excellent job of working with the Fish and Wildlife Service to administer the Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund under the authority of this act.

In just a few short years, this program has grown tremendously. To date, the Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund has awarded more than $25 million to projects that support recreation, water quality, water management, and habitat. Grantees have matched that investment by a ratio of nearly 2 to 1--an impressive total conservation impact of over $70 million.

This program is a great example of how when the government--at all levels--works with diverse suites of nongovernment stakeholders, we can achieve meaningful results on the ground that improve the lives of people and wildlife alike.

For example, the program has funded several diverse projects in Delaware, including installing pollinator gardens at places of worship, removing a dam in White Clay Creek, improving fish passage in the Brandywine River, and restoring wetlands at our national wildlife refuges. These restoration efforts protect the species we love, clean up our drinking water, and provide a boost to local tourism.

The legislation I am introducing today would reauthorize the Delaware River Basin Conservation Act and make some minor improvements to allow even better results on the ground throughout the Delaware River Watershed. This reauthorization has clear benefits for our environment and economy--a win-win for Delaware and our region.

I look forward to working with my colleagues to enact this important legislation this Congress. I ask unanimous consent that a copy of the bill I am introducing today appear in the Record following my statement.

President, I ask unanimous consent to print my bill for introduction in the Congressional Record. The bill prohibits U.S. persons from engaging in transactions with foreign persons who purchase or transact in gold from the Russian Federation.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.