House Appropriations Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen today made the following statement regarding Hurricane Michael, which made landfall in the U.S. yesterday as a Category 4 hurricane:

“Congress has watched with deep concern as Hurricane Michael struck the coast of Florida – one of the strongest hurricanes to hit the United States in decades – and we continue to track the storm as it continues its projected path through Georgia and South Carolina. Congress has a proud tradition of supporting our fellow Americans in their times of greatest need, particularly following a natural disaster of this magnitude, and we will ensure that resources are available to help with recovery and rebuilding efforts.

“The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) currently has sufficient funds for immediate disaster response thanks to prior action from Congress, and the Appropriations Committee continuously monitors both funding levels and disaster response requirements and estimates. Should the need arise, my Committee is prepared to act quickly. I am grateful to the first responders, FEMA, and other federal agencies for their work on the ground to help those in crisis. Our thoughts are with those affected by this and other hurricanes, and we urge all in the storm’s continued path to stay safe.”

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The President today signed an Appropriations “minibus” funding bill which  includes the Department of Defense (DOD), the Labor, Health and Human Services (LHHS) and Education Appropriations bills for fiscal year 2019, as well as a short-term Continuing Resolution (CR) to temporarily fund remaining government programs until December 7, 2018. The legislation is now enacted into law. 

Notably, with the completion of this package, Congress will have approved 75% of all annual discretionary funding prior to the end of the fiscal year on September 30 – a critical step in returning to the regular federal funding process, and an achievement that has not occurred in over two decades. This is also the first time in over 20 years that Congress has passed a LHHS bill prior to the end of the fiscal year, and the first time in over 10 years it has passed a DOD bill prior to the end of the fiscal year.

House Appropriations Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen made the following statement on the legislation:

“The Republican Leadership in the House and Senate and the Appropriations Committees have strived to return to the regular order of passing government funding bills. With the signing of this package today, Congress will have enacted the majority of all discretionary spending for the year – 75% – prior to the end of the fiscal year, an accomplishment that hasn’t occurred in over two decades.

“Even more importantly, this legislation will provide for our national defense, including an additional $17 billion to continue to rebuild our military and ensure our warfighters are ready for any threat, as well as 2.6% pay raise for our troops. It also ensures continued investments in the health, safety, educational, and economic well-being of our nation.

“This budgetary progress, and the stability and predictability it brings to our Armed Forces and other agencies, is the fiscally responsible way to fund these federal programs on behalf of the American people,” Chairman Frelinghuysen said.

The legislation signed today also includes a short-term Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep the federal government open and operational until all the remaining Appropriations bills can be signed into law. This extension will run until December 7, 2018, and covers the areas of the federal government not covered by this minibus or prior Appropriations legislation that the President signed into law on September 21. Negotiations on the rest of the funding bills are currently ongoing.

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The U.S. House today approved an Appropriations “minibus” funding bill, which  includes the Department of Defense (DOD), the Labor, Health and Human Services (LHHS) and Education Appropriations bills for fiscal year 2019, as well as a short term Continuing Resolution (CR) to temporarily fund remaining government programs until December 7, 2018. The legislation will now be sent to the White House for final approval.

Notably, with the completion of this package, Congress will have approved 75% of all annual discretionary funding prior to the end of the fiscal year on September 30 – a critical step in returning to the regular federal funding process, and an achievement that has not occurred in over two decades. This is also the first time in over 20 years that Congress has passed a LHHS bill prior to the end of the fiscal year, and the first time in over 10 years it has passed a DOD bill prior to the end of the fiscal year.

House Appropriations Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen made the following statement on the legislation:

“Congress has no greater duty than to provide for our Common Defense. This legislation fulfills that this critical responsibility. The Department of Defense is now set to receive its full funding on time for the first time in over ten years. Providing this stability and predictability to our military leaders is a necessary and welcome step as we rebuild our Armed Forces.

“In addition, the legislation funds human service programs that will protect and save lives both now and in the future, This includes investments in vital National Institutes of Health research to cure diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s, job training, college preparation, special education programs, programs to combat opioid abuse, school safety, and protections against pandemics and bio-threats.

“This package also includes a short term Continuing Resolution to keep the federal government open and operational until all 12 Appropriations bills can be signed into law. This will avoid the threat of any government shutdown, and allow for time for work on the remaining funding bills to be completed.”

In addition, in separate legislation, the House approved $1.68 billion in emergency relief funding related to Hurricane Florence. The funds are targeted to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Fund for the Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) programs. This funding will support Hurricane Florence recovery efforts from catastrophic wind and flooding that caused many deaths and tremendous damage. This includes resources to rebuild housing, infrastructure, and assistance to local and family businesses as they recover from damage caused by the hurricane.

“Our thoughts are with those affected by Hurricane Florence – particularly those who have lost their homes, their livelihoods, and their loved ones. While there are sufficient funds for the immediate response, it is our duty to ensure that federal agencies are well-equipped to support ongoing and future recovery efforts,” Chairman Frelinghuysen said. “This legislation provides a first round of assistance for the residents of North and South Carolina who must rebuild their lives in the wake of this disaster. The Appropriations Committee continues to monitor Hurricane Florence and other natural disasters closely, and is fully prepared to take swift action if more funding is necessary.”

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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present the Conference Report for H.R. 6157.

This Conference Report provides full-year funding for the Department of Defense, and for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and related agencies. It also includes a Continuing Resolution through December 7, 2018, for federal government programs and agencies not covered by enacted Appropriations legislation.

Congress has no greater duty than to provide for our Common Defense. This legislation fulfills that this critical responsibility. The Department of Defense is now set to receive its full funding on time for the first time in over a decade.

Providing this stability and predictability to our military leaders is a necessary and welcome step as we rebuild our Armed Forces. For far too long, their dedication to duty has been weakened by declining and uncertain budgets.

Congress has turned that around – beginning with significant investments in last year’s Omnibus, and continuing this year with an additional $17 billion in base funding for the Department of Defense.   

In total, this Conference Report provides $674.4 billion for our military – consistent with the levels authorized by the NDAA.

This funding ensures our troops have the resources they need to defend our nation and succeed in their global missions. This includes funding to sustain ongoing Overseas Contingency Operations and to support increased troop levels.

It also ensures our warfighters have the training, readiness programs, and other resources needed to prepare for their missions – and a pay raise of 2.6 percent.

This Conference Report also replenishes our military might – investing $148 billion in new and modernized equipment and weapons platforms, and $96.1 billion for research and development to improve the lethality, effectiveness, and safety of our defense systems.

In addition to this critical funding for our national defense, this legislation also includes funding for vital domestic programs.

The Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill provides $178 billion for programs that protect the health, education, and labor standards that all Americans deserve.

Funding is directed to programs that have wide national benefit. The National Institutes of Health receives a $2 billion increases to bolster its life-saving research.

Notably, funding to fight the opioid abuse epidemic receives historic levels of funding, totaling $6.6 billion. This will support treatment, prevention, research, and other efforts to end this national crisis.

Another top priority is increased funding to keep our children safe in schools. This includes funding for mental health and other protective measures.

Lastly, the Labor, HHS bill invests in our future, creating economic opportunity and helping students get ahead and be part of a well-trained, 21^st Century workforce.

In addition to these two Appropriations bills, the Conference Report includes a Continuing Resolution for the remaining areas of the federal government not covered by this or our previous bills that have already been signed into law. This will assure that the government stays open for business.

Upon enactment of this legislation, Congress will have provided full-year funding for three quarters of the federal government.

But there is still more work to be done on our remaining Appropriations bills.

For those bills, the Continuing Resolution extends current levels of funding through December 7, 2018, with a few minor, technical adjustments. This will allow Congress time to complete our work on the remaining bills – as we intend to do.

Mr. Speaker, this legislation is yet another step forward on our goal of returning to “regular order” and fully funding the federal government for the 2019 fiscal year.

It is the product of months of hard work on the parts of our Conference Committee – led by Chairwoman Granger and Chairman Cole, along with Ranking Member Visclosky and Ranking Member DeLauro.

I also want to thank the Committee’s Ranking Member Mrs. Lowey and our Senate counterparts for their commitment to completing our Appropriations work.

This Conference Report would not be on the floor today without the Appropriations Committee’s dedicated professional and associate staff. I extend my deepest gratitude for their dedication, service, and hard work.

I urge my colleagues to vote “yes” on the Conference Report.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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House Appropriations Committee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen made the following statement on legislation containing emergency supplemental funding to help in the recovery efforts from Hurricane Florence, which was introduced Saturday as H.R 302.

The bill provides $1.68 billion for the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Fund for the Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) programs. This funding will support recovery efforts from catastrophic wind and flooding damage caused by Hurricane Florence, including resources to rebuild housing, infrastructure, and assistance to local businesses as they recover from damage caused by the hurricane.

“The Appropriations Committee continues to monitor the damage caused by Hurricane Florence, particularly as the flood waters continue to rise. While the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has sufficient funds with which to respond to this disaster, we are prepared to take swift action to provide what more may be needed. I commend the first responders, FEMA, and other federal agencies who are working quickly to support the affected communities.”

The funding in this legislation will be provided as block grants to states, and will not duplicate funds provided by FEMA, the Small Business Administration, or private insurance.

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The House Appropriations Committee today filed a two-bill Appropriations “minibus” funding bill, which has been approved by a joint House and Senate Conference Committee. This Conference Report includes the Department of Defense, and the Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations bills for fiscal year 2019.

This package of bills also includes a short-term “Continuing Resolution (CR),” which will provide continued funding to keep the federal government operating until all yearly Appropriations funding bills can be signed into law. The CR merely extends current levels of funding for federal agencies until December 7, 2018.

House Appropriations Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen made the following statement on the legislation:

“We owe it to the American people and to our men and women of our Armed Forces to provide the resources needed to protect our nation from both current and future threats, and to ensure that our military remains the strongest in the world. This legislation fully supports our warfighters and their families, and continues our efforts to rebuild our military after years of under-funding and neglect. When this bill is signed into law, it will mark the first time in over 20 years that the Department of Defense will have its full yearly appropriation prior to the end of the fiscal year.

“In addition, the legislation funds critical programs that will protect and save lives both now and in the future, This includes investments in vital National Institutes of Health research to cure diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s, job training, college preparation, special education programs, programs to combat opioid abuse, school safety, and protections against pandemics and bio-threats.

“This package also includes a short term Continuing Resolution to keep the federal government open and operational until all 12 Appropriations bills can be signed into law. This will avoid the threat of any shutdown, and allow for time for work on the remaining funding bills to be completed.”

This package represents the next step made by the House and Senate to return to “regular order” – which means completing all 12 funding bills through the normal legislative process and enacting them into law. Further, when the Energy and Water (which includes Department of Defense nuclear security activities) and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs (passed as part of the Conference Report for H.R. 5895), and this Defense Appropriations bills are signed into law, it will be the first time in more 20 years that the Department of Defense will have its full annual funding enacted before the end of the current fiscal year.

Bill Highlights:

Defense Appropriations –

• Provides a total of $674.4 billion in funding, which is consistent with the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019. It continues to rebuild the military with a boost of $17 billion above the fiscal year 2018 level in base discretionary funding.
• Of the total, the bill includes $67.9 billion for ongoing Overseas Contingency Operations and Global War on Terror efforts.
• Supports our warfighters by including the authorized 2.6% pay raise for our troops – the largest such pay raise in nine years.
• Boosts troop levels – supports 1,338,100 active-duty troops and 817,700 Guard and Reserve troops and meets the requested 16,400 end-strength increase.
• Cares for our troops, military families, and retirees by including $34.4 billion for the Defense Health Program.
• Includes funding above the request for cancer research, traumatic brain injury and psychological health research, and sexual assault prevention and response.
• Replenishes our military might by providing $148 billion for equipment procurement and $96.1 billion for research and development into new defense systems and technologies.

Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations –

• Includes vital funding for the National Institutes of Health – $39 billion, an increase of $2 billion – for research to cure diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s.
• Funds programs to protect against health threats such as pandemics and bio-threats, providing $7.9 billion for the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and $2 billion to prepare for and prevent public health and social services emergencies with programs such as biomedical research, acquisition of medical supplies and vaccines, and hospital preparedness grants.
• Saves taxpayers $50 million in future appropriations by creating the first Infectious Diseases Rapid Response Reserve Fund, where funds only become available for use in the event of a future public health emergency. 
• Encourages economic growth with funding for job training programs and grants, Job Corps, and veterans employment services.
• Prepares the next generation through education programs, including college preparation and Pell grant funding, special education programs, pre-school grants, charter schools, and state support and achievement grants.
• Helps to combat the opioid epidemic by providing $6.7 billion, a historic level of funding, for programs that fight, treat, and stop substance abuse and support access to mental health services. This includes $5.7 billion for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a $584 million increase. This will fund activities authorized under the 21^st Century Cures Act and other addiction and recovery programs. The legislation also provides increases for State opioid response grants and criminal justice programs such as drug courts.
• Improves school safety by investing $1.5 billion in the Department of Education and HHS.

For more detailed information on these Appropriations bills, please visit: www.appropriations.house.gov/legislation.

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The U.S. House today approved a three-bill Appropriations “minibus” funding bill, moving this critical legislation one step closer to enactment well before the end of the fiscal year on September 30. The package of bills, the final product of negotiations between the House and the Senate, includes funding for the Energy and Water, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Legislative Branch Appropriations bills for fiscal year 2019. The legislation will now be sent to the White House for approval.

This package of three funding bills, totaling $147.5 billion in discretionary funding, will mark the first time in more than 10 years that Congress has sent more than one Appropriations bill to the President’s desk prior to the end of the fiscal year. This represents a significant effort made by the House and Senate to return to “regular order” – which means completing all 12 funding bills through the normal legislative process and enacting them into law.

House Appropriations Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen made the following statement on the package of bills:

“First and foremost, this legislation will advance our national security efforts by providing essential funding for our nuclear security needs, resources for our military personnel and families, and improvements to U.S. bases both here and abroad to prepare for and meet any threat to our country. It also meets our commitment to our veterans, providing the highest dollar amount ever to the Department of Veterans Affairs and boosting programs to care for those that have bravely fought and served. 

“This three-bill package is a long overdue, critical step in getting the annual funding work done on time. This is the first time in over a decade that we have gotten this far along in the Appropriations process before the end of the fiscal year, and it is our intention to continue this progress and push forward to fund the rest of the federal government responsibly and in ‘regular order.’”

For more information, please visit: www.appropriations.house.gov/legislation.

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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present the Conference Report for H.R. 5895.

This Conference Report includes the Energy and Water; Military Construction and Veterans Affairs; and Legislative Branch Appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2019. It is the product of months of negotiations between the House and the Senate. 

This Conference Report is a responsible compromise that addresses shared priorities – funding for national programs that benefit all Americans, including national security, energy development programs and water resources infrastructure, care for veterans, and operations of the Legislative Branch.

Critically, this Conference Report represents the next step toward fully funding the federal government for Fiscal Year 2019.

This is the first time since Fiscal Year 2017 that Congress will have passed any Appropriations bill before the end of the fiscal year, and the first time in well over a decade – since Fiscal Year 2007 – that Congress will be sending more than one Appropriations bill to the President’s desk before September 30.

We have done our best to repair a broken Appropriations process.

This is a welcome, and long overdue, return to regular order, and fulfills our promise to the American people to deliver results.

Passage of this legislation also provides certainty to the federal government – most importantly for our troops and their families who rely on military infrastructure to sustain their quality of life and accomplish their missions, and for our veterans, who deserve full access to their benefits and health care.

It is my sincere hope that we will continue this progress with the consideration of additional Conference Reports.

The Energy and Water portion of the report provides $44.6 billion for Department of Energy, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Department of Defense’s nuclear programs.

Investments in national security programs helps our nation maintain its strongest possible nuclear deterrence posture, supports our Navy’s nuclear-powered fleet, and keeps nuclear materials out of the hands of terrorists.

The bill directs much-needed funds to water resources infrastructure across the country, improving public health and safety, advancing our economic interests, and keeping America “open for business.”

And the bill target funds to an array of Energy programs that support our goal of energy independence.

The Military Construction and Veterans Affairs portion of the report totals $98.1 billion in discretionary funding. This includes the largest dollar amount ever for the Department of Veterans Affairs - $86.5 billion – a substantial investment that will improve access to and quality of care for our veterans.

Importantly, this includes additional funding for the VA MISSION Act, and will support ongoing care for our veterans through community care centers, caregivers, and other medical services. This funding is provided within the existing discretionary spending caps.

Also, the bill provides strong investments for our Defense infrastructure and military installations.

This will support the rebuilding of our Armed Forces, help counter threats and aggression abroad, and support our troops and military families at home and abroad.

The third portion of this Conference Report includes the Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill. This legislation continues the operations of the Congress and its support agencies – ensuring that Members of Congress are able to best serve the American people.

Within the total of $4.8 billion provided for both the House and Senate, funding is prioritized for security and safety within the Capitol Complex, including increases for the Capitol Police.

The legislation helps the Legislative Branch improve its functions – from supporting the Office of Employee Advocacy, to modernizing the Library of Congress’s information technology, to maintaining accountability.

Of note, for the first time, we have included dedicated funding for paid internships, which will allow more young Americans and students from all backgrounds to serve Congress.

I want to express gratitude to the Chairs and Ranking Members of the three Subcommittees that spearheaded this legislation: Energy and Water Chairman Simpson of Idaho; Ranking Member Kaptur of Ohio; Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Chairman Carter of Texas; Ranking Member Wasserman Schultz of Florida; Legislative Branch Chairman Fortenberry of Nebraska; and Ranking Member Ryan of Ohio.

Along with all our conferees. I also want to thank Ranking Member Lowey for her service and support of the Appropriations process.

Lastly, I’d like to thank the Appropriations Committee’s hard-working professional and associate staff. Over the past several months, they have been working – without a break – to complete negotiations and get this Conference Report and other Reports to the floor.

Particularly, I’d like to thank: Nancy Fox, Maureen Holohan, Shannon O’Keefe, Jason Gray, Marta Hernandez, Tammy Hughes, Rachel Kahler, Parker Van de Water, and Tom Doelp in the Front Office; Angie Giancarlo, Loraine Heckenberg, Perry Yates, and Amy Murphy on the Energy and Water Subcommittee; Sue Quantius, Sarah Young, and Kiya Batmanglidj from the MilCon/VA Subcommittee; Jenny Panone and Tim Monahan from the Legislative Branch Subcommittee; along with Shalanda Young, Chris Bigelow, Jaime Shimek, Matt Washington, and Adam Berg from the Minority; and finally, Katie Hazlett, Austin Bone, Steve Silvestri, Chris Hansell, and Kacy Hobbis in my personal office.

Support for this Conference Report today indicates that Congress is willing and able to get its work done on behalf of the American people – on time, under regular order, and within our set budget limits.

I urge a “yes” vote on this Conference Report. 

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House Appropriations Committee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen gave the following statement before the House-Senate Conference Committee meeting on H.R. 6147, the third FY 2019 "minibus" Appropriations package, which includes the Interior, Financial Services, Agriculture, and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development funding bills:

Good afternoon. Thank you all for being here today, and welcome back to many of you.

I am delighted to convene our third formal Conference Committee meeting for Fiscal Year 2019. We are making great strides toward returning to regular order and funding the federal government on time and within budget.

This would not be possible without the cooperation and partnership of Chairman Shelby, Ranking Member Leahy, and Ranking Member Lowey. I thank them for their dedication to this process and to getting our work done.

Congress is making progress on our Appropriations bills that hasn’t been seen in well over a decade. In fact, the House and Senate haven’t held a Conference meeting on the Interior bill since Fiscal Year 2009!

This is in part due to the hard work of the Conference Committee and our professional staff, who have negotiated and labored over the past month to bring this Conference Report before this Committee today.

This third package includes four Appropriations bills: Interior; Financial Services; Agriculture and Rural Development; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development.

This will fund necessary programs that bolster economic growth, create jobs, ease congestion in our roads, rails, ports, and skies, and improve essential infrastructure in communities across the country.

It will also preserve and promote our natural resources, ensure our national parks and public lands remain accessible, support American farmers and ranchers, and strengthen judicial functions and our financial sector.

Notably, this package also will contain significant funding to prevent and fight wildfires, which have devastated millions of acres in the West this summer alone.

Both the House and the Senate share these priorities, and that has helped us reach a compromise on many aspects of this legislation.

While we haven’t seen eye to eye on everything, I know our final package will reflect common American values and support the programs that benefit all Americans.

Again, I would like to thank the members of the Conference Committee – particularly the Chairs and Ranking Members of the four subcommittees.

I am glad to see us continuing progress on Appropriations legislation in this fashion – working side by side to get our work done the right way.

If we continue in this direction, with widespread support from our Colleagues and the President, we will fund nearly 90% of the federal government – and hopefully before the end of the fiscal year.

It’s been a long time since the American people have seen the Appropriations process function successfully, and I’m proud we’re delivering these results today.

Thank you.

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Good morning. Thank you all for being here today.

I am pleased we’re meeting today at our second formal Conference Committee meeting of the year. This meeting represents yet another step toward our return to regular order.

I know that Chairman Shelby, Ranking Member Leahy, and Ranking Member Lowey share my commitment to regular order, and I want to thank them for their partnership as we continue this process.

We are considering three items this morning: the Defense Appropriations bill for FY 2019; the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill for FY 2019; and the continuing resolution.

In front of each of you is the full set of conference notes for each of the two bills noting the matters in disagreement between the two bodies. We have reached resolution on all items and completed our work on these bills.

The dispositions of each item are annotated in the notes before you, as well as the annotated bill text in the side-by-side comparison.

The one additional matter for consideration by the conferees is the Continuing Resolution. A section-by-section summary of the CR is before you. It is merely a continuation of current levels, with a few minor, technical adjustments. The CR duration is through December 7, 2018, allowing us time to complete our work on the remaining bills – as we intend to do.

Earlier this week, the House filed the first “minibus” Conference Report for the 2019 Fiscal Year, which I expect the House to pass later today.

We continue that forward momentum today as we meet on the Fiscal year 2019 Department of Defense, and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bills.

This is the necessary next step toward completing all our Appropriations bills as soon as possible, before the end of the fiscal year in just over two weeks.

And, I will note, this is the first time we’ve conferenced the Department of Defense bill since the 2007 Fiscal Year.

This is a tremendous step forward on our goal of returning to “regular order.” I thank all of you for your commitment to this process and this institution.

Providing for our national defense is Congress’s most important responsibility, but it is especially critical now.

Our Armed Forces have been weakened by years of declining and unstable budgets.

It is time that we provide our military – the greatest military in the world – with the resources they need to rebuild.

Both the House and the Senate bills laid strong groundwork for this, and through our negotiations, we will provide robust funding for our troops and the equipment and training that keep our nation secure.

In addition to funding the Department of Defense, it is also necessary that we fund critical domestic priorities.

The Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill supports programs that protect the health, education, and labor standards that all Americans deserve.

Again, I want to thank the members of the Conference Committee – particularly Chairwoman Granger, Ranking Member Visclosky, Chairman Cole, Ranking Member DeLauro, and their counterparts in the Senate – along with our hard-working staff, for their efforts that brought us to the table today.

I look forward to continuing this progress with the Conference meeting for our third “minibus” later today.

Thank you.