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The appropriations package contains a total of $853 billion in discretionary budget authority, as well as an additional $67.9 billion in discretionary budget authority for Defense Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO). The bill also contains a Continuing Resolution (CR) to extend current FY18 appropriations levels for the remaining appropriations bills into a portion of FY19, which begins October 1, 2018. The CR extends this funding through December 7, 2018. Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27) voted for the package and released the following statement:
“This spending package helps to take us away from the brink of another government shutdown, while avoiding many of the problematic poison pills – like a border wall or defunding Planned Parenthood – that Republicans have sought. Crucially, it provides robust funding for programs like the Low Income Heating Assistance Program (LIHEAP), Head Start, and the National Institutes of Health. It also walks back one of Trump’s attacks on women by fully funding Title X Family Planning. Other victories in this package include $1.3 billion for unaccompanied minor children, an increase in the maximum Pell Grant award, and language directing the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to submit a family reunification plan to Congress.
“However, this bill is not perfect. Defense spending remains disproportionately high, while also preventing actions to close Guantanamo Bay. Despite these shortfalls, I am pleased that we could find a way to fund the government through compromise, and not by just appealing to the whims of the Republican base.”
