Gluesenkamp Perez Delivers for Southwest Washington in Three Government Funding Bills

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Yesterday, the Senate passed three 2026 funding bills, which included provisions authored by Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03). As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez was able to secure key Southwest Washington priorities in these bills, which now head to the President’s desk to be signed into law.

“When Congress gets its act together and works in a bipartisan way, we get legislation like this that delivers solutions tailored to our communities’ needs and values,” said Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez. “As a member of the Appropriations Committee, I worked with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to make sure that Southwest Washington’s priorities — from supporting our salmon and steelhead populations, to having our local law enforcement’s back, to bringing down energy costs — were represented in these bills, and I’ll keep plugging away to make sure that Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars are being invested in an effective, durable, and responsible way.”  

A list of bipartisan provisions led by Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez broken out by individual bill can be found below. 

Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies

• Sea Lion Removal: Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez authored a provision in this bill which directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), in consultation with State and Tribal partners, to study better removal methods for the corolla-sized sea lions that are damaging salmon and steelhead populations — including more efficient direct-kill methods. Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez recently joined a House Committee on Natural Resources hearing to speak about the importance of direct-kill strategies.
  
• Ensuring Community Chaplains Can Access Federal Resources: Community chaplains provide vital counseling to law enforcement officers and victims of crimes. Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez has met with local chaplains in Southwest Washington and included a provision in this bill which affirms that they can access federal funding for law enforcement mental health as appropriate by law.
  
• Controlling Burrowing Shrimp Populations: Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez wrote a  provision that was included in this bill which pushes for NOAA to study control methods for excess populations of burrowing shrimp that damage bottom culture oyster beds in the Willapa Bay.
  
• Supporting Corrections Officers’ Mental Health: There are high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide among correctional officers. Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez secured language in this bill that encourages the Bureau of Prisons to work with their employees to determine what systemic practices should be instituted to improve mental health outcomes. The Congresswoman has hosted multiple roundtables with Southwest Washington corrections officers and continues to advocate for this patriotic and critical workforce.
  
• Resources for Salmon and Steelhead Recovery: The bill includes $4,000,000 for Mitchell Act Hatcheries, which help support salmon and steelhead populations in the Columbia River Basin, and $65,000,000 for the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund. 

Energy, Water Development, and Related Agencies

• Lowering Costs for Manufactured Homeowners: Traditional means of energy efficiency for manufactured housing like skirting and awning are effective means of lowering costs for residents. Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez authored a provision in this bill which encourages the Department of Energy to prioritize grants available within the Weatherization Assistance Program for those tools.

Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies

• Bolstering Local Search and Rescue Operations: When people get into trouble on federal lands, the often costly work of search and rescue operations falls to local law enforcement. Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez’s provision requires the Department of the Interior to brief the Committee on existing funding streams that could potentially be used and expanded to help local departments offset the costs of these operations.

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