Minority News Releases
Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On The Senate Rejecting President Trump’s Rescission Package
The Senate has reinforced the bipartisan, bicameral budget deal struck by Congress four months ago by rejecting President Trump's shortsighted rescission package. The message that this vote sends at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue will be heard loudly and clearly. Here in the Senate, we are committed to making the appropriations process work again. The Appropriations Committee has reported seven, bipartisan appropriations bills, and we will consider three more tomorrow in committee. This w… Continue Reading
06.20.18
Vice Chairman Of Appropriations Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On President Trump’s Rescission Package
In just the latest example of the cut first and ask questions later policies of the Trump administration, we are voting on a bill today that would claw back billions of dollars from children's health insurance, affordable housing investments, infrastructure, rural development, and innovative energy programs. For a White House who just forced through Congress a $1.9 trillion tax giveaway to billionaires and corporations, to defend these cuts as necessary to reduce the deficit is laughable. It i… Continue Reading
06.19.18
SUMMARY -- FY2019 State & Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill Approved by Senate Subcommittee
Washington, D.C. (Tuesday, June 19, 2018) - The bill provides $54.418 billion in discretionary budget authority, including $8 billion in Overseas Contingency Operations. The allocation is $12.2 billion above the President's request and $400 million above the fiscal year 2018 enacted level. U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, said: "This bill is an example of the Congress rejecting the divi… Continue Reading
06.19.18
Vice Chairman Leahy Statement On the FY 2019 Energy & Water, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Legislative Branch “Minibus” Appropriations Bill
Today we open debate on the first Senate appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2019. The "minibus" before us contains the Energy and Water Appropriations bill, the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill, and the Legislative Branch Appropriations bill. These bills have strong bipartisan support and are the result of hard work and compromise on the part of the Chair and Ranking Member of each Subcommittee. The Appropriations Committee has so far reported to the floor seve… Continue Reading
06.19.18
SUMMARY -- Senate Subcommittee Approves FY2019 Financial Services & General Government Appropriations Bill
Washington, D.C. - The fiscal year 2019 Senate Financial Services and General Government bill provides $23.688 billion to related agencies, which is $265 million more than fiscal year 2018, and $70 million more than the President's budget request. "U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee, said, "This bill funds some of the key regulatory agencies, notably the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Con… Continue Reading
06.19.18
SUMMARY: FY2019 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill Clears Senate Subcommittee
Washington, D.C. - The fiscal year 2019 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations Bill provides a discretionary total of $55.151 billion, of which $6.652 billion is provided for Disaster Relief, as defined by the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act, and $165 million is provided for Coast Guard Overseas Contingency Operations funds. After excluding these two amounts, the net discretionary appropriation for DHS is $48.334 billion, $611 million more than the fiscal year 2… Continue Reading
06.14.18
Leahy Statement On Consideration of the FY 2019 Interior and Environment; Commerce, Justice and Science; and Legislative Branch Appropriations Bills
The Committee has three bills before it today-the Interior bill, the Commerce, Justice, Science bill, and the Legislative Branch bill. All three are the product of hard work and bipartisan cooperation by each of the subcommittees, and I urge members to support them. Chairwoman Murkowski and Ranking Member Udall deserve significant praise for this FY 2019 Interior Appropriations bill. This is no small accomplishment, as we have not had a bipartisan Interior Appropriations bill since Fiscal Y… Continue Reading
06.14.18
Summary of the FY 2019 Commerce, Justice, Science And Related Agencies Appropriations Bill
Washington, D.C. - The fiscal year 2019 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations Bill provides a total of $63 billion in discretionary funding, $3.4 billion more than fiscal year 2018 and $2.7 billion less than the President's request. The CJS bill invests in a wide range of critical programs that affect the lives of all Americans. The bill provides $30.7 billion, $403 million more than fiscal year 2018 and $2.7 billion more than the President's request for the Dep… Continue Reading
06.14.18
SUMMARY -- Legislative Branch Fiscal Year 2019 Appropriations Bill
WASHINGTON (THURSDAY, June 14, 2018) - The fiscal year 2019 Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill provides $3.361 billion in discretionary budget authority, excluding items pertaining solely to the House, which total an additional $1.429 billion. Total funding accommodated in the bill is $4.790 billion, which is $90 million more than the fiscal 2018 enacted level and $159 million less than budget request. The bill provides critical increases for the Government Accountability Office, the Unite… Continue Reading
06.14.18
Summary Of The Interior, Environment, And Related Agencies FY 2019 Appropriations Bill
Washington, D.C. - The fiscal year 2019 Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies bill provides a total discretionary funding level of $35.853 billion, which is $601 million more than the fiscal year 2018 level and $7.586 billion more than the President's request. The bill does not contain poison pill riders. U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-New Mexico), Ranking Member of the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Subcommittee, said: "This bill represents the Senate's commitme… Continue Reading
06.12.18
SUMMARY: Senate Subcommittee Approves FY2019 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Bill
Washington, D.C. - The fiscal year 2019 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations Bill provides a total of $63 billion in discretionary funding, $3.4 billion more than fiscal year 2018 and $2.7 billion less than the President's request. The CJS bill invests in a wide range of critical programs that affect the lives of all Americans. The bill provides $30.7 billion, $403 million more than fiscal year 2018 and $2.7 billion more than the President's… Continue Reading
06.12.18
SUMMARY -- Senate Appropriations Subcommittee Approves FY 19 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill
Washington, D.C. - The fiscal year 2019 Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies bill provides a total discretionary funding level of $35.853 billion, which is $601 million more than the fiscal year 2018 level and $7.586 billion more than the President's request. The bill does not contain poison pill riders. U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-New Mexico), Ranking Member of the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Subcommittee, said: "This bill represents the Senate's commitm… Continue Reading
06.07.18
Summary Of The FY 2019 Transportation, Housing And Urban Development, And Related Agencies Appropriations Bill
WASHINGTON (TUESDAY, JUNE 7, 2018) - The fiscal year 2019 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Senate Appropriations bill provides a total of $71.417 billion in discretionary budget authority - $1.117 billion more than fiscal year 2018 and $23.421 billion more than the budget request. Additional resources are provided to prevent and end homelessness among veterans, youth, and victims of domestic violence, as well as to maintain existing rental housing assist… Continue Reading
06.07.18
SUMMARY: FY2019 MilCon-VA Appropriations Bill Approved by Senate Committee
Washington, D.C. -The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee approved fiscal year 2019 funding legislation that provides $207.1 billion in total funding, including $98 billion in discretionary funding, $5.3 billion more than fiscal year 2018 enacted and $956.7 million more than the President's budget request level. In addition to the fiscal year 2019 funding, the bill provides $75.6 billion in fiscal year 2020 advance funding for veterans health care, equal to the President's budget request, and… Continue Reading
06.07.18
Statement Of Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On the FY 2019 THUD Appropriations Bill and MilCon VA Appropriations Bill
The Committee has two bills before it today-the FY 2019 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Bill, and the FY 2019 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Bill. Both are the product of hard work and bipartisan cooperation by each of the subcommittees, and I urge members to support them. First, I want to thank Chairman Collins and Ranking Member Reed for producing a good, bipartisan bill free of poison pill riders. The Transportation, Ho… Continue Reading
06.06.18
Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) REAX To Trump Administration Opposing New Funding For The VA MISSION Act
We do our veterans no favors by promising care without backing it up with resources, and the administration saying that providing new funding to care for our veterans is "anathema to responsible spending" is shameful. Signing a bill then opposing the resources to fund it is no different than writing a rubber check. If the bill the President is signing is important to veterans - I believe that it is, and even the President will say that it is - then it needs to be funded to make it real. To tr… Continue Reading
06.05.18
SUMMARY: Senate Appropriations Subcommittee Approves FY2019 Transportation, HUD Appropriations Bill
WASHINGTON (TUESDAY, JUNE 7, 2018) - The fiscal year 2019 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Senate Appropriations bill provides a total of $71.417 billion in discretionary budget authority - $1.117 billion more than fiscal year 2018 and $23.421 billion more than the budget request. Additional resources are provided to prevent and end homelessness among veterans, youth, and victims of domestic violence, as well as to maintain existing rental housing assist… Continue Reading
06.05.18
SUMMARY -- FY2019 MilCon-VA Appropriations Bill Approved by Senate Appropriations Subcommittee
Washington, D.C. -The U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs approved fiscal year 2019 funding legislation that provides $207.1 billion in total funding, including $98 billion in discretionary funding, $5.3 billion more than fiscal year 2018 enacted and $956.7 million more than the President's budget request level. In addition to the fiscal year 2019 funding, the bill provides $75.6 billion in fiscal year 2020 advance funding for veterans health c… Continue Reading
05.25.18
Summary Of The Energy And Water Development Fiscal Year 2019 Appropriations Bill
Washington, D.C. - The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee approved fiscal year 2019 Energy and Water Appropriations bill that totals $43.8 billion in discretionary budget authority, which is $566 million more than the fiscal year 2018 level and $7.2 billion above the President's requested level. Non-defense activities see an increase of $474 million, emphasizing the importance of funding the nation's infrastructure, scientific research, and technology development priorities. Defense activiti… Continue Reading
05.24.18
SUMMARY: Senate Appropriations Committee Approves Agriculture, Rural Development, Food And Drug Administration, And Related Agencies FY19 Appropriations Bill
Washington, D.C. - The fiscal year 2019 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies bill provides a total discretionary funding level of $23.235 billion, which is $225 million more than the fiscal year 2018 level and $6.13 billion more than the President's request. The bill does not contain poison pill riders. U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ranking Member of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Su… Continue Reading