House passes government funding

WASHINGTON– Today, the House passed appropriations bills to fully fund the government for the rest of the fiscal year.

“We should have done this in September, but to minimize further damage to our military, I supported and voted for these bills now,” said Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-Clarendon). “There is a lot included here that should not be, the main thing is to fully fund the men and women who serve our country.”

Defense highlights:

• Appropriates $695.6 billion to the Department of Defense (DOD);

• Includes a 3.1 percent pay increase for our servicemembers, the largest in a decade;

• Provides funding for defense health programs, including suicide and traumatic brain injury research;

• Funds additional V22s;

• Increases funding for Impact Aid;

• Supports additional funding for bases impacted by natural disasters; and

• Funds High Explosive Science and Engineering Facility at Pantex by $80 million.

Other key highlights:

• Maintains funding for the border wall;

• Funds the hiring of 1,200 Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officers and 100 new border protection processing coordinators;

• Increases funds for rural broadband;

• Supports farmers and ranchers affected by natural disasters in 2018 and 2019; and

• Increases National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for research of opioid, Alzheimer’s, childhood cancer, and other important treatments and diseases.