Funding the Federal Government Until April 2017 and Disaster Relief (H.R. 2028)
Do you support or oppose this bill?
What is H.R. 2028?
(Updated May 28, 2020)
This bill was enacted on December 10, 2016
Update December 7, 2016: This bill was co-opted through the amendment process to serve as the legislative vehicle for a spending package to fund the federal government. Originally, it served as an appropriations bill that would have provided over $35 billion in funding for fiscal year 2016 to the Army Corps of Engineers, nuclear security programs, and various federal energy, environment, and water programs.
In its current form, this bill funds most federal agencies, programs, and services at their current levels through April 28, 2017 without making any major changes in existing federal policy. It also contains funding for Dept. of Defense military operations against ISIS that aren’t provided for in the NDAA, natural disaster relief for areas ravaged by floods, and addressing drinking water infrastructure problems which was authorized by recently introduced water infrastructure legislation. Additionally, it provides funding for the 21st Century Cures Act, which was sent to the president’s desk by Congress on December 7, 2016.
Overseas Contingency Funding (OCO)
This bill contains $5.8 billion in funding for the Dept. of Defense (DOD) and $4.3 billion for the State Dept. to support military and diplomatic efforts to fight ISIS and terror around the globe. The defense portion of this spending would be funded at a level $8 billion above current spending levels.
Natural Disaster Relief
A total of $4.1 billion in disaster relief funding would be provided for in this bill to address damage caused by several recent natural disasters, including Hurricane Matthew, floods, drought, and other severe weather events including:
$1.8 billion for Community Development Block Grants in states to support recovery and rebuilding efforts for individuals with homes damaged by severe weather events;
$1.025 billion for the Army Corps of Engineers for repairs to flood and coastal storm protection projects and dredging;
$1 billion for the Federal Highway Emergency Relief program to repair damaged highways;
$206.1 million for emergency watershed protection and conservation;
$74.7 million to repair damaged NASA facilities.
Drinking Water
This bill contains $170 million to address the infrastructure and health needs of communities affected by contaminated drinking water, all of which is fully offset by other spending cuts and rescissions. Grants would be made available for infrastructure improvements like replacing pipes, lead poisoning prevention care for mothers and children, and a lead exposure registry.
Funding for the 21st Century Cures Act
A total of $872 million in funding for the 21st Century Cures Act would be provided to boost medical research, drug approval, and drug abuse efforts Of this total, $20 million would go to the Food and Drug Administration Innovation account, $352 million for the National Institutes of Health Innovation account, and $500 million for states to respond to the opioid abuse crisis. All of this funding is fully offset through other spending cuts and rescissions.
Miscellaneous
This legislation also includes miscellaneous provisions aimed at preventing catastrophic, irreversible, or detrimental changes to government programs and support national security, among other reasons. Some of these include:
Allowing funding to be used for purchases related to the Ohio Class Submarine, Apache Attack Helicopter, Blackhawk Helicopter, and KC-46A Tanker programs that would otherwise cause delays and increase costs.
Funding critical nuclear weapons activities and providing for Homeland Security operations, including border and immigration enforcement and protecting the president-elect.
A provision preventing members of Congress from receiving a pay increase.
Additional funding, if needed, to house and care for unaccompanied children who have entered the country illegally beyond February 1, 2017 because the variability in the number of children entering the country.
Allowing funds to make District of Columbia school choice (SOAR) vouchers available in time for the next academic year.
Providing $45 million, fully offset, for continued healthcare plan benefits for certain miners covered under a union benefit plan to prevent the loss of healthcare coverage for the miners and their families that would otherwise occur on December 31, 2016.
Argument in favor
Congress needs to pass this stopgap spending bill to prevent a government shutdown on December 9. This is a very inefficient way to run a government, but at the end of the day the government needs money to function. An extension of this length gives the Trump administration a chance to draft and pass its own budget next year.
Argument opposed
Aside from the fact that it’s another short-term spending bill that kicks the can down the road, there’s a lot to dislike about this bill. It falls short of what’s needed to support communities affected by lead-tainted drinking water, suffering from the effects of drought and natural disasters, and coal miners who would lose their healthcare coverage.
Impact
Anyone who uses federal government services, anyone who works in government in both "essential" and "non essential" services, the federal government itself — particularly departments and programs that would close for a partial government shutdown, and Congress.
Cost of H.R. 2028
The CBO estimates that enacting this bill would cost $1.217 trillion in fiscal year 2017.
Additional Info
In-Depth: House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY) offered the following statement on the stopgap spending package:
“The Continuing Resolution is the necessary step for an operating and functioning government over the next four months. However, this type of short-term spending absolutely should not be the final answer to funding the federal government for the year… This legislation is just a band aid, but a critical one. It will give the next Congress the time to complete the annual Appropriations process, and in the meantime, take care of immediate national funding needs.”
This legislation has taken heat from Democrats concerned about providing more funding to Flint, Michigan and other communities dealing with the impact of lead-contaminated drinking water. Additionally, Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) have called on Democrats in the Senate to use the upper chamber’s procedures to delay a vote in the hope of getting healthcare benefits for miners funded for a longer-term than the bill offers. Such a move would keep the Senate in session into next week and require Congress to pass a very short-term stopgap to prevent an interruption in government services.
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