Washington,
March 21, 2018
The House Appropriations Committee today introduced legislation to provide all discretionary funding for the federal government for the 2018 fiscal year.
The bill contains the full legislation and funding for all of the 12 annual Appropriations bills. It totals $1.3 trillion, including $78.1 billion in funding for the Global War on Terror (GWOT)/Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO). Total base funding, excluding OCO and emergencies, is $1.2 trillion.
The legislation adheres to the recently enacted budget “caps” agreement, providing an additional $80 billion for national defense – the largest year-to-year increase in base funding for the Department of Defense in 15 years. It also provides increased funding for critical federal programs including efforts to fight the nation’s opioid epidemic, to secure our homeland, to promote school safety and mental health, and to make robust investments that will help rebuild America’s aging infrastructure and bolster economic growth.
Appropriations Committee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen made the following statement on the legislation:
“This Omnibus Appropriations bill represents thousands of hours of work, consideration, and input by Members of Congress. These 12 bills were considered and amended in Committee and on the House floor in an open and inclusive process last year, and have been negotiated in good faith by Committee leaders, House and Senate Leadership on both sides of the aisle, and the White House.
“This bill makes historic investments in our military – including the largest year-to-year increase in funding in 15 years, since the beginning of the War on Terror. This legislation will continue efforts to reverse the damage and neglect done under the previous Administration that has caused the men and women of our Armed Forces to be less prepared to fight, and that have put our nation’s ability to counter future threats in peril.
“The package also contains increased funding to ensure our security here at home. It includes increases for new border infrastructure, additional agents, more detention beds, better surveillance technology, and other measures that will help close the security gaps that put our border and nation at risk.
“But we must also focus on crisis and challenges here at home. This legislation targets funding to fight the scourge of the opioid epidemic that is devastating families and communities across the country. It provides new funding for school safety and mental health services to help prevent the kind of tragedy and heartbreak that occurred in Parkland, Florida. And it makes major investments in infrastructure across the board – whether it is transportation, energy, water, or cyber – to help boost our economy and promote future growth.
“These investments are made responsibly, with an eye towards getting the most out of every dollar, and reflect the priorities of the American people. This legislation will bring real and lasting solutions to the many challenges facing our nation both at home and abroad.”
The bill includes critical funding for:
- National Defense – After years of neglect, this bill starts rebuilding America’s Armed Forces by making the largest investment in 15 years. It provides $654.6 billion in both base and Global War on Terror/Overseas Contingency Operations funding – the biggest year-to-year increase since the beginning of the War on Terror. It fully funds a 2.4% pay raise for the troops, fulfills the requests made by Secretary Mattis and military leaders, and gives warfighters the resources they need to fight, win, and return home safety.
- Securing Our Homeland – The bill includes $47.8 billion for the Department of Homeland Security, an increase of $5.4 billion over the last fiscal year. These dollars will bolster border infrastructure, add more “boots on the ground,” increase detention space, and improve surveillance technology. The legislation includes $1.571 billion for physical barriers and associated technology along the Southwest border. This amount provides for more than 90 miles of “border wall system,” going beyond the Administration’s budget request for a total of 74 miles in fiscal year 2018.
- Rebuilding America’s Aging Infrastructure – Improving the nation’s infrastructure is critical to reliability, safety, and economic growth. The legislation includes more than $21 billion for infrastructure projects across the country, including transportation, energy, water, and cyber.
- Combatting the Opioid Crisis – This legislation includes nearly $4 billion in resources to combat the opioid crisis that President Trump has declared as a national emergency. It will invest billions in treatment, prevention, and law enforcement efforts to stop the spread of these dangerous drugs and help families and communities get the assistance they need.
- School Safety – To help protect children and to promote safe learning environments, the bill provides more than $2.3 billion in new funding to effective mental health, training, and school safety programs at the Departments of Justice, Education, and Health and Human Services.
Bill Highlights: For a bill-by-bill summaries, please visit:
Agriculture Appropriations Bill - Summary | One Pager
Commerce, Justice, Science Bill - Summary | One Pager
Defense Appropriations Bill - Summary | One Pager
Energy and Water Appropriations Bill - Summary | One Pager
Financial Services Appropriations Bill - Summary | One Pager
Homeland Security Appropriations Bill - Summary | One Pager
Interior/Environment Appropriations Bill - Summary | One Pager
Labor, HHS, Education Appropriations Bill - Summary | One Pager
Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill - Summary | One Pager
Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill - Summary | One Pager
State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill - Summary | One Pager
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Bill - Summary | One Pager
Investing in Infrastructure - One Pager
Improving School Safety - One Pager
Fighting Opioid Abuse - One Pager
Overall Summary - One Pager
For the text of the legislation and the bill reports, please visit: http://docs.house.gov/floor/
