Congresswoman Bush Proudly Secures Over $2B for Missouri’s First District
Washington, D.C. (June 11, 2024) — Congresswoman Cori Bush (MO-01) is proud to have helped deliver over $2,000,000,000 to Missouri’s First Congressional District throughout her tenure in Congress.
“Since taking office, I am proud to have delivered over $2 billion in federal investments for St. Louis. These funds aren’t just numbers on a page—they’re investments in the lives of our children, seniors, educators, veterans, health care providers, workers, and more,” said Congresswoman Cori Bush. “I fought for these investments, partnered with my colleagues in Congress and the Biden-Harris Administration, even securing funding that wasn’t initially on the table for our community. Every dollar I’ve brought home is a testament to the promise St. Louis and I made together during our community swearing in: to do the absolute most for Missouri’s First District, starting with those who have the greatest need. I will continue to deliver on this promise every day and ensure St. Louis is at the forefront of every conversation.”
This over $2 billion dollars has come from the American Rescue Plan, the Inflation Reduction Act, Community Project Funding, Department of Transportation RAISE Grants, disaster relief and other federal funding awards secured through annual appropriations. A comprehensive snapshot, as of today’s date, of this funding can be found HERE. (Note: Funding totals can change on a daily basis as new federal investments are secured and made to Missouri's First Congressional District.)
American Rescue Plan
Congresswoman Bush, alongside Congressional Democrats and President Biden, worked to pass the American Rescue Plan Act (“ARPA”) in March of 2021, a $1.9 trillion pandemic and economic recovery package that has brought more than $1.5 billion in life-saving resources to St. Louis. This legislation was passed on a strict party line–meaning not a single Republican voted in support of this vitally needed legislation. The investments from ARPA include:
- $498 million in direct funding for the City of St. Louis, through ARPA State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. This funding has gone on to support violence prevention programs, traffic calming measures, right to counsel programs for people at risk of eviction, $150 million alone for North St. Louis, and the state’s first guaranteed income program.
- $193 million in direct funding for St. Louis County, through ARPA State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. This funding is continuing to be doled out by County officials but has supported emergency rental assistance for people at risk of eviction, local non-profits, and the broader St. Louis County area.
- As part of at least $2.7 billion in direct funding to the state of Missouri through ARPA State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Direct investments have been secured for St. Louis, and thanks to the stewardship of St. Louis state lawmakers, in the Missouri state legislature, these investments have supported major investments in elementary, secondary and post-secondary schools across the district, and supported critical programs in the community working to address key issues, like the unhoused crisis and food insecurity.
- An estimated $197 million was delivered by the American Rescue Plan Act, for families with children in Missouri’s First District, through the expanded Child Tax Credit. This funding supported the needs of nearly 130,000 children in Missouri’s First District.
Community Project Funding
Congresswoman Bush proudly delivered over $41 million in Community Project Funding geared toward homelessness prevention, public health, youth engagement, environmental justice, and economic revitalization projects across St. Louis. This includes funding for projects such as:
- $2 million for Affinia Healthcare and YMCA of Greater St. Louis’ new North County health center in Ferguson, which is helping to close gaps in access to health care and reducing health disparities for Black and brown residents in Missouri’s First District;
- $1.5 million for A Red Circle to help address food insecurity;
- $1 million for the UAW Labor Employment and Training Corporation to support job training in the automotive sector; and
- $685,000 towards the improvement of the 911 dispatch system for the City of St. Louis.
Inflation Reduction Act
Congresswoman Bush proudly delivered federal funding for St. Louisans through the Inflation Reduction Act, which made historic investments in lowering prescription drug costs—including capping the cost of insulin at $35 per month and mandating an out-of-pocket limit of $2,000 for thousands of seniors in St. Louis on Medicare, investing in clean energy initiatives, supporting small businesses, and much more.
- Funding for the Inflation Reduction Act is currently being doled out, and so far, this legislation has already brought$16 million in funding to support energy efficiency & climate resilience housing initiatives in Missouri’s First District.
Department of Transportation Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity, or RAISE Discretionary Grant program
In 2021, while working alongside folks on the ground, Congresswoman Bush advocated for and sent several letters of support, to ultimately secure $33.2M in critical funding for community development projects, including:
- $18.2 million secured for West Florissant Avenue Project
- $15 million secured for the Brickline Greenway
Disaster Relief
Following the historic flooding in July 2022, Congresswoman Bush worked with her colleagues in the Missouri Delegation, the Governor of Missouri, and the White House to secure a Presidential major disaster declaration which opened up funding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and worked with Biden-Administration officials, including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration to deliver millions in disaster relief for residents, small-businesses, and public transit systems in the St. Louis region.
- $27.6 million for Bi-State Development Agency to assist in vehicle replacement for the MetroLink light rail system that had been destroyed during the climate disaster. This funding was secured in partnership with then Senator Roy Blunt, as part of a total of $214 million to support emergency disaster assistance for public transit systems nationwide in the aftermath of natural disasters.
- After record rainfall and flash flooding hit the St. Louis region in July 2022, the majority of the damage was concentrated on a two-mile section of the MetroLink light rail system at the Forest Park-DeBaliviere Station in St. Louis where the Red Line and Blue Line converge and MetroLink customers change trains to access both train lines. The disaster relief funding secured by Congresswoman Bush and Senator Blunt has provided Bi-State with the funds it needed to restore services to pre-flood levels.
- $82 million in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funds, including $56 million for St. Louis County and nearly $26 million for the City of St. Louis.
Federal Grants
Every year, the office of Congresswoman Cori Bush meets with dozens of advocacy organizations, non-profit organizations, housing authorities, day care providers, labor unions, and medical research institutions to start outlining our priorities for federal spending. Throughout her tenure, Congresswoman Bush has been proud of the massive funding in domestic spending that she, alongside her Democratic colleagues and the President, have been able to secure in fiscal years 2022, 2023, and 2024 as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Acts–all of which have been signed into law, despite obstruction and threats of spending cuts to vital health, education, and housing programs by extreme MAGA Republicans.
- This funding, at least $265 million, has gone on to support Head Start programs at the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis and YWCA of Metropolitan St. Louis, our district’s four Federally Qualified Health Centers (e.g., Affinia Healthcare, CareSTL, Betty Jean Kerr People’s Health Center, and Family Care Health Center), the St. Louis Housing Authority, Greater STL, Inc., Mission St. Louis, and colleges and universities across our district, including Saint Louis University, Washington University in St. Louis, Harris Stowe State University, Ranken Technical Community College, and more.
If press have any questions or points of clarification, please reach out directly to Marina Chafa, Communications Director for the Office of Congresswoman Cori Bush, at CoriBushPress@mail.house.gov.
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