03.08.24

Senate Approves Bipartisan Funding Package in Overwhelming 75-22 Vote

 

Six-bill package fully funds WIC, protects vital funding to propel our economy, keeps Americans safe, helps families thrive, and rejects extreme Republican riders and draconian cuts

 

ICYMI: Murray Secures Full Funding for WIC, Protecting Lifesaving Benefits for Nearly 7 Million Moms & Kids Nationwide – MORE HERE

 

ICYMI: Senator Murray’s floor remarks urging colleagues to support bipartisan appropriations package – MORE HERE

  

Washington, D.C. – Today, the Senate voted 75-22 to send the first bicameral, bipartisan package of six fiscal year 2024 appropriations bills to the president to be signed into law after the House cleared the package in an overwhelming 339-85 vote on Wednesday.

 

The funding package protects nutrition assistance for millions of women and kids who count on WIC, sustains funding essential to our economy, keeps passengers safe, protects our food supply, delivers for our veterans and brave federal firefighters, and rejects devastating cuts and well over 100 extreme Republican riders that would turn back the clock.

 

“Today, we got the first half of the job done—passing a serious bipartisan package to fund key parts of our government. As I’ve said all along: we can fund the government if everyone just works together in a reasonable, bipartisan way—with the simple understanding that government shutdowns are bad and doing the work the American people sent us here to do is good. This bipartisan funding package protects investments that are absolutely critical to families and our economy, and it rejects House Republicans’ draconian cuts and extreme policies that would have sent our country back decades,” said Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “The investments we make in this legislation will help people keep a roof over their head, strengthen cutting-edge scientific research, keep passengers safe, protect our food supply, continue rebuilding America’s infrastructure, and much more. This package ensures that every eligible mom and kid can continue receiving the vital nutrition assistance they depend on. I fought tooth and nail to ensure we fully fund WIC because the suggestion from House Republicans that the richest nation in the world cannot afford to feed babies is just plain wrong. This isn’t the bill I would have written on my own—but this is a strong bipartisan package that sustains vital resources that matter in people’s lives. I am confident we can pass the rest of our funding bills so long as far-right extremism is left at the negotiating room door.”

 

The six-bill funding package consists of: the fiscal year 2024 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies; Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies; Energy and Water Development; Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies; Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies; and Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies appropriations bills.

 

“As Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, I am focused on delivering for American families, farmers and producers, and rural communities. Though we had to make some tough decisions to get there, this bill gets that done. I am especially proud that we stood firm to fully fund WIC and the other programs that will help put food on the table for America’s kids. This legislation will continue to grow our economy and put the interests of families in New Mexico and across the country first,” Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM)—Chair of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee—said of the bill he negotiated.

 

“I am glad the Congress finally worked together to pass this critical package of appropriations bills to address a wide range of important issues while also averting a harmful partial government shutdown. The bipartisan fiscal year 2024 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill will help keep our communities and nation secure, further United States leadership in science and innovation, and assist in the growth and prosperity of American businesses and good jobs,” Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)—Chair of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee—said of the bill she negotiated. “As Chair of the CJS Subcommittee, I have worked to ensure this bill gives our communities the tools they need to build a safe and prosperous future, and I look forward to seeing this bill signed into law.”

 

“As Oregonians and people across the United States face the threat of climate chaos, we need to use every tool at our disposal to protect our health and environment. This year’s final Interior-Environment bill does exactly that by blocking harmful environmental riders and securing vital resources that support our communities and protect our natural treasures,” said Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chair of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, who wrote the bill. “Even under a tight budget, this Interior-Environment bill rejects draconian cuts proposed by the House to ensure our communities have the necessary resources to combat wildfires, honor our trust and treaty obligations to Tribes, protect our public lands and waters, and safeguard clean air and water for all. I applaud the House and Senate for coming together in a strong bipartisan manner to support this essential government funding bill, and I look forward to President Biden swiftly signing it into law.”

 

“This bill makes important and necessary investments to help millions of Americans keep a roof over their heads and get around safely,” Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI)—Chair of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee—said of the bill he negotiated. “Addressing America’s long-running housing crisis and modernizing our transportation infrastructure for the future requires significant federal investments. This bill makes an important down payment as we continue that work.”

 

Among other things, the bipartisan funding package:

  • Fully funds WIC and all other federal nutrition programs—protecting essential benefits for nearly 7 million women and kids nationwide relying on WIC and ensuring no one will be put on a waitlist or denied assistance.
  • Invests in hiring new air traffic controllers and rail safety inspectors to keep people safe and reduce delays for passengers.
  • Protects vital rental assistance to help millions of households keep a roof over their head, boosts investments to reduce homelessness, and helps build more affordable housing.
  • Sustains critical infrastructure programs so that Democrats can keep rebuilding America’s roads, bridges, and so much more.
  • Maintains critical pay raises for brave federal firefighters and supports key federal programs to fight and prevent wildfires as the wildfire season grows longer and more severe.
  • Rejects drastic cuts to core environmental and conservation programs—and extreme riders that would block progress to tackle the climate crisis, so that Democrats can continue to deliver on historic climate action.
  • Fully funds veterans’ medical care and benefits—and delivers record investments to increase mental health services for veterans, help end veteran homelessness, and support women veterans’ health care.
  • Supports military families with investments for the construction of military housing, child care centers, and more.
  • Rejects once unthinkable efforts by House Republicans to gut funding for federal law enforcement officials—protecting funding to keep families and communities safe from drug trafficking, violent crime, fraudsters, and more.
  • Strengthens our investments in cutting-edge scientific research—from advanced manufacturing to AI to clean energy.
  • Supports farmers, producers, and ranchers across the country, and protects key economic investments rural communities count on.

 

More information on the six-bill package is available HERE. Text of the legislation is available HERE.

 

Bill summaries and explanatory statements accompanying each are available below:

 

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