Continued Bipartisan Progress on Appropriations
‘[A]ll 12 appropriations bills for this fiscal year were reported out prior to the July 4th recess. The process was so bipartisan that, cumulatively across all twelve bills, the committee votes were 363 to nine. Here on the floor, we’ve already approved -- with bipartisan support -- measures to fund Energy and Water Development, Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Environment, Agriculture, and other priorities.’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding the Senate’s continued work on appropriations:
“Last week, the Senate turned to a critically important pair of appropriations bills -- those which encompass the Departments of Defense, Labor, Health & Human Services, and Education. And we proceeded to this legislation by unanimous consent. That might seem like a small detail, in the scheme of things. But it underscores a fact that should be a real source of pride for this Senate: Bill by bill, we are rebuilding a regular process for responsibly appropriating the taxpayers’ money. We are achieving what we set out to do together.
“Because of the leadership of Chairman Shelby, Senator Leahy, and our subcommittee chairs and ranking members, all 12 appropriations bills for this fiscal year were reported out prior to the July 4th recess. The process was so bipartisan that, cumulatively across all twelve bills, the committee votes were 363 to nine. Here on the floor, we’ve already approved -- with bipartisan support -- measures to fund Energy and Water Development, Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Environment, Agriculture, and other priorities.
“We’ve had a normal committee process. We’ve had amendment votes here on the floor. We’ve considered these bills thoroughly, but efficiently, and then passed each of them with bipartisan majorities. That’s exactly the momentum we need to keep up now. The legislation now before us will be a major milestone. It addresses vital priorities: A pay raise for our troops, plus funding for their missions and work to restore combat readiness. Training programs for American workers. New tools for combating the opioid epidemic.
“These bills will bring billions of dollars in resources and relief to the families and communities that are fighting every day against the crisis of drug abuse and addiction that has inflicted so much pain on our nation. I’ll have more to say this week on the important things this legislation will accomplish for our country. But first, I wanted to pause and take stock of our progress.
“When we finish and pass the legislation before us, we’ll have approved 9 of 12 bills. Together, they’ll account for more than 87 percent of discretionary spending for next year. And it will be the first time in 15 years that the Senate will have passed the Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill before the start of the fiscal year. I’m glad we’ll be voting on a pair of amendments later this afternoon. I hope that, with consent, we’ll be able to vote on more amendments this week. And then, I look forward to passing this legislation for our servicemembers and for middle-class families across the country.”
Related Issues: America's Military, Opioid Abuse, Infrastructure, Veterans, Appropriations
Next Previous
