President Signs First FY2019 Appropriations Minibus Spending Package

The President signed into law the first minibus spending package, H.R. 5895, today while visiting the North Las Vegas Medical Center. The minibus sets funding levels for FY19 for the Energy & Water, Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, and Legislative Branch spending bills.

Defense, Labor HHS Education

The Senate adopted a conference report for the FY19 Defense and Labor HHS Education spending bills by a vote of 93 to 7. Senators voting against the measure were: Flake (R-AZ), Lee (R-UT), Paul (R-KY), Perdue (R-GA), Sanders (I-VT), Sasse (R-NE), and Toomey (R-PA). While some GOP conservatives have threatened to oppose the bill because of the non-defense spending levels, House leadership is confident the measure will pass with broad bipartisan support.

The $855.1B package also includes a continuing resolution extending current funding levels through December 7 for any federal agencies that don’t get their FY19 appropriations bills passed by October 1 as well as a short-term extension of the Violence Against Women Act and sections of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act.

Conference Report Text

https://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20180910/CRPT-115hrpt952.pdf

Joint Explanatory Statement

https://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20180910/Joint%20%20Statement.pdf

Interior-Environment, Financial Services, Agriculture, Transportation HUD

House and Senate negotiators continue to work on a deal on the $154 billion spending package covering the Interior-Environment, Financial Services, Agriculture, and Transportation-HUD spending bills. When conferees met last week, there were disagreements over policy riders affecting environmental regulations. Two other issues holding up a conference agreement are a $585M “Fund for America’s Kids and Grandkids” and the federal employee pay raise.

FY2019 Appropriations Bills Status