House Passes Two More Bills To Reopen Key Parts of Government, Provide Certainty for Working Families
The House today approved two more pieces of legislation to reopen key parts of the federal government and provide certainty to American families affected by the Trump Shutdown. The bills fund the Departments of Agriculture, Housing and Urban Development, and Transportation, as well as the FDA, through September 30. They ensure that families can receive food stamps and that tenants living in HUD supported housing don’t face eviction. Both bills mirror bipartisan legislation that passed the Senate last year on a 92-6 vote.
“With the Trump Shutdown in its twentieth day, the American people are rightly concerned about the impact this fiasco is having on families, businesses, and communities. The bipartisan bills that House Democrats passed today alleviate some of that uncertainty by ensuring families receive SNAP benefits and tenants don’t face eviction,” House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita M. Lowey said. “For the sake of everyone affected by this needless shutdown, I urge Senate Republicans to come to their senses, stand up to the President, and once again pass these bipartisan bills.”
The first bill, the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2019 (H.R. 265), passed the House on a 243-183 vote. It is virtually identical to legislation that has already passed the Senate on a 92-6 vote and will ensure that the Department of Agriculture and the FDA are both able to operate through September 30. It also ensures that families will be able to access food stamp benefits in full and on schedule.
The legislation provides $23.235 billion in discretionary funding, $225 million above the FY2018 enacted level. In addition, it provides the latest estimates for mandatory programs required by law – including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Child Nutrition Programs. It rejects President Trump’s proposed budget cuts to agriculture, rural development, and conservation programs and includes funding for rural broadband that President Trump had proposed eliminating.
The second bill, the Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2019 (H.R. 267), passed the House on a 244-180 vote. It is virtually identical to legislation that has already passed the Senate on a 92-6 vote and will ensure that the Department of Transportation and the Department of Housing and Urban Development are both able to operate through September 30. It also ensures that people living in housing supported by HUD aren’t evicted.
The legislation provides $71.4 billion in discretionary funding, $23.3 billion above the President’s budget request and $1.1 billion above the FY2018 enacted level. The total includes more than $17 billion in funding for new infrastructure projects, in addition to $49 billion for infrastructure from dedicated fuel and aviation taxes. It rejects President Trump’s deep cuts to Public and Indian Housing and Community Planning and Development, as well as his proposed elimination of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, and the Choice Neighborhood Initiative.
Both bills include back pay for federal employees working without pay or furloughed during the Trump Shutdown.
For the text of H.R. 265, please visit: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-116hr265ih/pdf/BILLS-116hr265ih.pdf
For the text of H.R. 267, please visit: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-116hr267ih/pdf/BILLS-116hr267ih.pdf