A bill signed by President Joe Biden on Dec. 21 sets the stage for more than $250 million in additional upgrades for a dilapidated wastewater treatment plant at the U.S. Mexican border.
The funding for the International Wastewater Treatment Plant is an earmarked section of a stopgap bill, which includes more than $100 billion in disaster aid. It hung in limbo after being initially passed by Senate and the House on Dec. 17, and then was rejected the next day at the urging of President-elect Donald Trump. Congress had until midnight on Dec. 20 to find funding solutions, otherwise the government would have shut down.
According to the Associated Press, Republicans compiled a revamped proposal on Thursday that would “keep the government running for three more months and suspend the debt ceiling for two years, until Jan. 30, 2027.” That bill failed in the House vote, but a subsequent revamped funding package was passed in the House late on Friday before moving over to the Senate and then sent to Biden.
Rep. Scott Peters, D-CA50, released a statement after the passage, saying Congress arrived at a deal that keeps the government open and doesn’t punish the American people for Washington’s dysfunction during the holidays.
And in regard to additional funding for the plant, Peters said the $250 million is long overdue.
“Just a few months ago, we broke ground on the project to fix and expand the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant — now we will have the money to finish the job,” he added.
Congress allocated over $100 million in March 2024, but total cost of expansion and repairs at the plant is estimated at $600 million.
“This critical investment is needed to fully fund the plant’s rehabilitation and expansion project,” said Rep. Juan Vargas, D-CA52, in a statement on Tuesday, before the initial bill was withdrawn.
Meanwhile, Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre and community advocates are currently in Washington, D.C., pressing the Biden administration to declare a state of emergency during Biden’s last month in office.
