Murray, Top Appropriators Release Second Funding Package

Funding legislation strengthens America’s national security and invests in the American people—lowering families’ child care costs, protecting workers’ pocketbooks, investing in people’s health, supporting students, and much more

Rejects steep cuts and extreme Republican riders that would have set our country back decades

ICYMI: Former Preschool Teacher Patty Murray Delivers $1 Billion More to Help Families Find and Afford Child Care & Pre-K – MORE HERE

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, released the second and final bipartisan package of six fiscal year 2024 appropriations bills alongside Vice Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) and House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Kay Granger (R-TX-12) and Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03).

In a statement, Chair Murray said:

“There’s no better investment than in the American people—and in this funding package, Democrats successfully fought to protect and strengthen the investments that matter most in people’s daily lives.

“We defeated outlandish cuts that would have been a gut punch for American families and our economy—and we fought off scores of extreme policies that would have restricted Americans’ fundamental freedoms, hurt consumers while giving giant corporations an unfair advantage, and turned back the clock on historic climate action.

“From day one of this process, I said there would be no extreme, far-right riders to restrict women’s reproductive freedoms—and there aren’t. Democrats stood firm to protect a woman’s right to choose in these negotiations and focused on delivering investments that matter to working people.

“This package will give families some extra breathing room—and help continue America’s historic economic recovery. I am proud to have secured $1 billion more to lower families’ child care costs and help them find pre-K—a critical investment to help tackle the child care crisis that is holding families and our economy back.

“This bill protects our investments in Americans’ health and in students at every stage of their education. It will propel cutting-edge medical research to discover new treatments and cures—and it makes certain we keep up our efforts to address the mental health crisis and the opioid epidemic, including with new investments to stop the flow of fentanyl. Democrats defended key investments in protecting workers’ rights, ensuring they get the paychecks they have earned, and supporting our nation’s small businesses.

“Critically, this package keeps our country safe and secure, strengthens our national security, and invests in the brave men and women who serve our country in uniform. It upholds our commitments to our allies and maintains our leadership internationally at a pivotal moment. It also provides critical resources to help meet increased operational needs at the border.

“We had to work within difficult fiscal constraints—but this bipartisan compromise will keep our country moving forward, and I hope all of my colleagues will work with us to get it signed into law as soon as possible. Let’s finish the job.”

Among other things, the $1.2 trillion funding package:

Lowers child care costs for families and strengthens Head Start with a new $1 billion investment to help families in every zip code afford child care and help ensure Head Start can continue serving hundreds of thousands of kids each year.

Protects workers’ rights and helps ensure they get the paychecks they have earned by protecting funding for essential worker protection agencies and the National Labor Relations Board.

Invests in students at every stage of their education and sustains essential investments in our nation’s public schools by delivering resources for our public K-12 schools, Pell Grants, and more—and rejecting devastating cuts that would have forced teachers out of our nation’s K-12 classrooms.

Keeps our country safe and supports our servicemembers and military families with essential investments in our national defense and important additional support for those who serve our country in uniform.

Builds on our historic economic recovery and supports small businesses.

Supports people’s health, strengthens the health care workforce, and guards against public health threats, rejecting dangerous cuts and sustaining all manner of investments in patients’ health.

Propels cutting-edge biomedical research to discover and create new treatments and cures that save lives and give people more time with their loved ones.

Invests in mental health care and research and strengthens the 988 lifeline—sustaining and building upon key investments made in recent years.

Protects consumers and holds fraudsters and rich tax cheats accountable to help even the playing field and keep growing our economy from the middle out.

Combats the flow of fentanyl, strengthens our detection and enforcement capabilities, and invests in substance use disorder treatment and prevention to address the opioid crisis that continues to devastate communities.

Delivers critical resources to help meet operational needs at our southern border.

Maintains America’s global leadership and upholds our commitments to our allies and partners to promote our own national security and strengthen our competitiveness.

Supports our Afghan allies by authorizing an additional 12,000 Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) for Afghans who assisted the U.S. government during the war in Afghanistan.

Increases base funding for humanitarian assistance to support the United States’ efforts to provide emergency food, shelter, water, and basic services to populations caught in conflict and crises across the globe.

Text of the funding package is available HERE.

More information on the first fiscal year 2024 appropriations package, which was signed into law on March 9, is available HERE.

Defense

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Financial Services and General Government

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Congressionally Directed Spending

Homeland Security

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