Press Releases

Today, U.S. Congressman Matt Cartwright announced his subcommittee assignments for the House Committee on Appropriations.  Cartwright will serve on the Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) Subcommittee and the Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) Subcommittee.

Rep. Cartwright said, “I intend to use my voice and vote on the Appropriations Committee to protect the health and retirement security of my constituents and to help spur economic growth in the 17th congressional district.”

The agencies the Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) Subcommittee provides funding for include the Department of Commerce, the Department of Justice, NASA, National Science Foundation, Office of Science and Technology Policy, International Trade Commission, and the U.S. Trade Representative.

The Economic Development Administration (EDA) within the Department of Commerce provides public works grants for redevelopment projects and regional economic planning, and works directly with local and regional officials and business owners to address the economic needs of communities.  The EDA also includes programs to encourage U.S. firms to relocate manufacturing jobs back to the U.S.

“The EDA is unique in that it is focused solely on private sector job creation and economic growth in distressed areas,” said Rep. Cartwright. “The EDA has a record of growing high-quality jobs in areas such as advanced manufacturing and technology, and it can provide grants to older-economy cities and towns when they press forward with new development ideas.”

Also within the Department of Commerce, the Subcommittee will oversee and fund agencies and programs like the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and its role to keep businesses competitive.  The independent National Science Foundation is responsible for increasing the number of students who complete education degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and developing innovation in manufacturing.

Veterans’ Treatment Courts, which are hybrid Drug and Mental Health Courts that use the Drug Court model to serve veterans struggling with addiction, serious mental illness and/or co-occurring disorders, are also under the jurisdiction of the Subcommittee.

“The CJS Subcommittee will provide me with the opportunity to support and strengthen Veterans’ treatment courts, which promote sobriety, recovery, and stability” said Rep. Cartwright. 

Other key Department of Justice programs include the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), which provides grants to police departments for additional officers.  The COPS Hiring program has placed over 115,000 officers in communities across the U.S. to advance community policing and anti-crime programs.

“The COPS Office and its programs keep our communities safe by providing invaluable law enforcement resources to state and local law enforcement agencies,” said Rep. Cartwright.

The Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) Subcommittee has jurisdiction over the Department of the Treasury, the Judiciary and federal courts system, Executive Office of President, the District of Columbia, Securities and Exchange Commission, Small Business Administration (SBA), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Federal Labor Relations Authority, and the Office of Personnel Management and federal employee pension systems, among other agencies.

Within the Treasury Department, the Subcommittee will oversee and fund agencies and programs like the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, which helps banks, credit unions, and venture capital funds finance affordable housing construction and small business expansion by both grants and administration of the New Markets Tax Credit.  The Subcommittee also oversees the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Business Loans Program.

“My role on the Financial Services Subcommittee will be to require that Wall Street helps Main Street, and not the other way around,” Rep. Cartwright said.