***WATCH: Senator Murray’s opening remarks***
Washington, D.C. – Today, the Senate Appropriations Committee met and approved the fiscal year 2024 Energy and Water Development; State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies appropriations bills.
“Today, our Committee will continue passing serious Appropriations bills that can actually be signed into law and making sure the voice of the Senate—and the voice of our constituents—is heard loud and clear in this process,” Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said at the markup. “As the bills we are discussing today show, we aren’t just talking about numbers on a page. We are talking about our country’s competitiveness and leadership on the world stage, the safety and wellbeing of our families and communities, and the future for our children.”
“These are strong bills that show Congress can actually work in a bipartisan way to make tough decisions and, ultimately, critical investments our communities are counting on,” continued Chair Murray at the markup. “We have more work ahead, and I am not going to stop pushing to use every tool I can to deliver the strongest bills possible.”
Chair Murray also announced that on Thursday, July 27, the full Committee will convene again to markup the fiscal year 2024 Defense; Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies; Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies; and Homeland Security appropriations bills.
Chair Murray’s full opening remarks are available HERE.
In a 29-0 vote, the Committee approved the Energy and Water Development Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations Bill.
The Fiscal Year 2024 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act provides $58.095 billion in total funding for the Department of Energy, Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation, and independent agencies.
The bill:
- Protects our energy grid, keeping waterways flowing, and improving drought resiliency, including by:
- Keeping our energy grid secure by maintaining critical funding to strengthen the security and resilience of our energy sector and enhance cybersecurity measures.
- Delivering necessary funding to provide reliable water sources to irrigate crops that feed families across America.
- Propels cutting-edge scientific research, including by:
- Delivering $330 million more in funding for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science to support scientific research and breakthroughs.
- Investing in clean energy technology and capacity.
- Maintains our nation’s ports and harbors with a historic funding level to ensure goods and people can get to where they need to be—strengthening our competitiveness and helping secure our supply chains.
- Furthers our nonproliferation efforts, protects our nuclear stockpile, and supports essential environmental clean-up efforts, including by:
- Providing a $106 million increase in funding for nuclear nonproliferation programs.
- Delivering new resources for environmental clean-up sites across the country.
“Our energy and water infrastructure need significant investment to meet the needs of Americans throughout the country, particularly in the West,” said Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development. “The bill passed by the Appropriations Committee today will help modernize our water systems to improve and increase dam safety, water storage, water recycling, desalination projects and more. And as we experience new heat records, our bill also makes key investments in expanding clean energy and fighting against climate change. I want to thank Ranking Member Kennedy for being a partner in moving forward this important bipartisan legislation.”
“This is a strong bipartisan bill that keeps America’s lights on and water flowing to our farms, propels cutting-edge scientific research, ensures nuclear security, and advances key environmental cleanup efforts,” said Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “These investments are key to making sure communities have the water resources they need to grow crops—strengthening our competitiveness globally, furthering clean energy research and capacity, and so much else. I’m also glad we are able to provide new resources to maintain our ports and harbors, which are so critical to trade, tourism, and even people’s daily commutes.”
A summary of the bill is available HERE.
Final bill text, report, and adopted amendments will be available online later today HERE.
In a 27-2 vote, the Committee approved the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations Bill.
The Fiscal Year 2024 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act provides $61.608 billion in total discretionary funding for the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and other essential related programs.
The bill:
- Strengthens America’s security and competitiveness by supporting the diplomatic and development workforce, standing with our partners and allies, and ensuring the U.S. is at the table when key U.S. interests are at stake, including by:
- Providing new resources to support the workforces of the State Department and USAID.
- Establishing a new $565 million Economic Resilience Initiative to enhance U.S. and partner country economic security and growth.
- Ensuring the United States maintains its global leadership and meets its commitments to the United Nations and other international organizations.
- Delivering $125 million to stop the global flow of fentanyl and precursor materials.
- Improves global health security, including by:
- Protecting key funding for global health initiatives, including the United States’ contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS and the President’s Malaria Initiative.
- Providing funding for a new global health workforce initiative.
- Increasing the U.S. contribution to the GAVI alliance to help vaccinate children and save lives in the world’s poorest nations.
- Strengthens diplomatic engagement in the Indo-Pacific and invests in key partnerships, including by:
- Delivering $100 million more to support our Indo-Pacific Strategy and strengthen U.S. engagement and presence in the region.
- Fully funding the Countering PRC Influence fund.
- Delivers much-needed humanitarian assistance and combatting global food insecurity, including by:
- Providing a $691 million increase in funding for humanitarian assistance programs.
- Increasing our investments in addressing global hunger and enhancing food security.
“This bill is a bipartisan product that would strengthen our national security, enhance U.S. international leadership, and deliver on our commitments to partners and allies. We are often reminded that we live in a complex and dangerous world. Ensuring our safety and protecting livelihoods at home requires concerted, sustained engagement abroad,” said Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs. “This bill proves that despite the many deep policy disagreements between Democrats and Republicans, we still can and should work together to advance the interests of our nation and our constituents. It also demonstrates how the United States can advance values-based foreign policy, protect our national security, and advance an economic competitiveness agenda that prioritizes sustainable development, high standards, and international cooperation. I thank my Ranking Member, Lindsey Graham, whose partnership has been invaluable. We faced budget constraints that required tough choices when drafting this bill, and the need for supplemental funding to address global humanitarian crises and sustain our support for Ukraine is clear. I look forward to working with my colleagues to address these matters in the coming weeks and months.”
“Our country’s strength and competitiveness depend on the strength of our diplomacy, our alliances, and our investments in building a more open, free, prosperous, and secure world,” said Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “Despite the challenging circumstances, this bill ensures we maintain our leadership internationally at a critical moment. It supports the diplomatic and development workforce that powers our engagement overseas and invests in strengthening our alliances, boosting our competitiveness, and enhancing our Indo-Pacific Strategy. It also delivers much-needed new resources for humanitarian support, extends vital funding for global health security, and invests in stopping the flow of fentanyl to protect communities.”
A full summary of the bill is available HERE.
Final bill text, report, and adopted amendments will be available online later today HERE.
In a 29-0 vote, the Committee approved the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations Bill.
The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies fiscal year 2024 appropriations bill provides $98.931 billion in total discretionary funding. The bill:
- Gets Americans safely to where they need to be, including by:
- Providing $1.255 billion in new resources for the FAA to address the shortage of air traffic controllers, improve safety, reduce flight delays, and increase efficiency.
- Addressing rail safety deficiencies after recent derailments, disasters, and close calls with $32 million in new funding for the Federal Railroad Administration to improve safety and operations nationwide.
- Continuing critical investments in America’s transit and transportation infrastructure.
- Expanding transportation infrastructure assistance for Tribes.
- Increases America’s housing supply and affordability and addresses the homelessness crisis, including by:
- Increasing the supply of affordable housing nationwide with funding to build 10,000 new rental and homebuyer units.
- Extending funding for the “Yes In My Back Yard” grant program to support efforts to increase our nation’s housing supply and lower housing costs through state and local zoning changes.
- Delivering $275 million in new funding for Homeless Assistance Grants to help address homelessness in communities across the country and providing new resources to better connect people experiencing homelessness with health care services.
“Our bill directly addresses America’s housing crisis by protecting affordable housing and homeless assistance programs that will help nearly 10 million people,” said Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies. “It also includes record level of investment in Native housing, and maintains funding to improve public transit, airports, railways, and roads across the country.”
“It’s critical we work to make sure people across our country can keep a roof over their head, aren’t left out in the streets, and can get to where they need to be safely and efficiently—and that’s what this bill helps do,” said Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “This is a strong bipartisan bill that makes critical investments to address the shortage of air traffic controllers and reduce flight delays, improve rail safety after recent, deeply concerning derailments, and continue investing in the infrastructure that helps Americans get to where they need to be. This bill also takes some critical steps to address homelessness in communities across America and increase the supply of housing to lower costs for families.”
A full summary of the bill is available HERE.
Final bill text, report, and adopted amendments will be available online later today HERE.
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