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Thank you, Chairman Yoder, Ranking Member Ryan, and Chairman Frelinghuysen, for your work on this bill. I want to start by congratulating our minority counsel Adam Berg on the birth of his second daughter, Leila.
The FY 2018 Omnibus was an important first step in digging many agencies in our legislative branch out of the hole caused by sequestration. This bill continues on that path with a $180 million increase for a total of $4.88 billion in Fiscal Year 2019 though it falls $24.9 million below the revised budget request. These investments are critical to the efficacy of the Legislative Branch; however, I cannot say that everything in this bill is perfect.
Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY), Ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, today issued the following statement upon introduction of the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2018.
"I am pleased that this Omnibus Appropriations Act invests robustly in critical priorities like child care; transportation infrastructure; national security; election protection; medical research, opioid abuse prevention and treatment; veterans' health services; and much more. These critical investments were made possible by Democrats standing strong against insufficient and partisan Appropriations bills throughout this budget and Appropriations process, and securing $117 billion more in non-defense discretionary funding than the President requested. They will pay dividends in job creation, economic growth, and critical support for American families and communities.
"The president seems determined to ensure this budget request is discarded even more quickly than his last one.
"While the President and his OMB Director live in budget fantasyland, I will be in the real world negotiating a responsible, bipartisan Appropriations package that invests in American families and communities."
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