Washington,
September 13, 2018
The U.S. House today approved a three-bill Appropriations “minibus” funding bill, moving this critical legislation one step closer to enactment well before the end of the fiscal year on September 30. The package of bills, the final product of negotiations between the House and the Senate, includes funding for the Energy and Water, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Legislative Branch Appropriations bills for fiscal year 2019. The legislation will now be sent to the White House for approval.
This package of three funding bills, totaling $147.5 billion in discretionary funding, will mark the first time in more than 10 years that Congress has sent more than one Appropriations bill to the President’s desk prior to the end of the fiscal year. This represents a significant effort made by the House and Senate to return to “regular order” – which means completing all 12 funding bills through the normal legislative process and enacting them into law.
House Appropriations Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen made the following statement on the package of bills:
“First and foremost, this legislation will advance our national security efforts by providing essential funding for our nuclear security needs, resources for our military personnel and families, and improvements to U.S. bases both here and abroad to prepare for and meet any threat to our country. It also meets our commitment to our veterans, providing the highest dollar amount ever to the Department of Veterans Affairs and boosting programs to care for those that have bravely fought and served.
“This three-bill package is a long overdue, critical step in getting the annual funding work done on time. This is the first time in over a decade that we have gotten this far along in the Appropriations process before the end of the fiscal year, and it is our intention to continue this progress and push forward to fund the rest of the federal government responsibly and in ‘regular order.’”
For more information, please visit: www.appropriations.house.gov/legislation.
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