House Passes Six-Bill Appropriations Minibus
WASHINGTON — The House today passed, on a 217 to 197 vote, a package of fiscal year 2021 appropriations bills. The package consists of six bills that fund federal departments including Defense, Commerce, Justice, Energy, Treasury Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development from October 1, 2020 to September 30, 2021.
“This appropriations package addresses urgent national priorities, making our country stronger and giving every person a better chance at a better life,” said House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita M. Lowey. “The bill provides strong funding and protections to prioritize public health and safety, address police reform, invest in education and job training, expand access to safe, affordable, and fair housing, support service members and military families, and combat climate change and embrace a clean energy future. I am also proud that the package includes strong emergency appropriations to confront coronavirus and support economic recovery. This package prioritizes the lives and livelihoods of the American people, and makes the strong investments needed to build a stronger future for every person.”
“This legislation recognizes the complex challenges the members of our Armed Forces and intelligence community face every day throughout the world, and it aims to ensure that they are able to continue to meet these challenges and complete their missions to the best of their abilities. To support this forward-looking posture, the bill makes major investments in operations and maintenance, procurement, and research and development,” said House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Chairman Pete Visclosky. “Most important to me personally is that this bill continues the Committee’s focus on the well-being and morale of those in uniform, their families, DoD civilians, and defense communities.”
“The minibus bill approved in the House today will provide much needed funding to key initiatives that are even more important now in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and calls for change,” said House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Chairman José E. Serrano. “Under the CJS portion, we were able to include billions in funding to advance police accountability and reform in our communities, to promote economic development, and to reduce gun violence. As part of this effort, we successfully protected numerous programs from the Trump Administration’s efforts to reduce funding levels or, in some cases, completely eliminate them. I thank Chairwoman Lowey for her leadership in managing this bill and getting us to this point, and I look forward to its passage in the Senate.”
“The Energy and Water division of this bill captures the American spirt of ingenuity and independence,” said House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Chairwoman Marcy Kaptur. “It provides the foundation of critical investments to combat climate change and is poised to be the most important climate change bill Congress passes this year. It will upgrade and strengthen our nation’s energy and water infrastructure, and it responsibly funds our nation’s nuclear deterrent while rejecting the Administration’s dangerous plan to restart nuclear explosive testing. This bill rejects the President’s drastic and short-sighted proposed cuts. Instead, it invests in important programs that keep our nation at the forefront of global energy innovation. It enables the efficient shipment of goods. It provides water, irrigation, and electricity to millions of Americans. These programs propel real economic growth.”
“This year’s FSGG funding bill provides the government with resources to protect our consumers, ensure the integrity of our markets, support small businesses, provide equal access to internet and so much more. This bill will help stabilize our economy for everyday Americans as we all navigate the road to recovery,” said House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government Chairman Mike Quigley. “Crucially, we have provided funding to help states hold safe, secure elections and provided the Federal government with the resources it needs to protect our consumers, ensure the integrity of our markets, support small businesses, and ensure equal internet access.”
“Our public health system has collapsed under the weight of the coronavirus, our schools need robust investments to safely and effectively meet the needs of all students, and unemployment continues to soar. Now is the time for us to move boldly and swiftly to defeat the virus, and the racial disparities it has exposed in health, education, and the economy,” said House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro. “The Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education portion of this bill rises to meet the challenges we’re facing as a nation. With this bill, we help develop new cures, support critical health services, and implement learning tools to create opportunity for working families and empower people at every stage of life. I am proud the House has taken this critical step to invest in beating this virus and closing the gaps it has exposed.”
“This year’s ‘T-HUD’ appropriations bill represents a renewed commitment to confront our affordable housing crisis and modernize our aging transportation infrastructure,” said House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Chairman David Price. “Throughout the bill we focus on improved safety, the needs of underserved people and communities, and resiliency in the face of a changing climate. ‘Infrastructure Week’ shouldn’t be a punchline—this funding is necessary for our future prosperity, especially as we transition from pandemic to recovery.”
The $1.3 trillion package, H.R. 7617, consists of the FY 2021 Defense, Commerce-Justice-Science, Energy and Water Development, Financial Services and General Government, Labor-HHS-Education, and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development appropriations bills.
The legislation rejects the proposed slashing and outright elimination of critical programs in President Trump’s budget, and instead prioritizes public health, invests in education and job training, expands access to safe, affordable, and fair housing, improves our nation’s infrastructure, addresses police reform, supports service members, and combats climate change.
The legislation includes strong emergency funding to rebuild our aging infrastructure, support the expansion of rural broadband, and strengthen our public health systems.
Additionally, the legislation provides a necessary check on the Trump administration, including through provisions to end the Trump administration’s theft of defense funds for a border wall.
A division-by-division summary of H.R. 7617 is available as a PDF here.
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