Congressman Veasey Statement on Omnibus Bill

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Marc Veasey, TX-33, released the following statement on the fiscal year 2017 omnibus legislation:

"Today's bipartisan bill represents an effort in good faith to pass a clean spending bill. Many of the provisions included in the bill are a reflection of Democrats' continued commitment to fight for all hardworking Americans while fighting back against poison pill amendments that are driven for partisan gain, including funding for President Trump's unnecessary border wall and the defunding of Planned Parenthood.

One of the biggest wins for the American people is including funding that will continue to make it easier for students to achieve their higher education aspirations. This bill includes $22.5 billion for year-long funding to the Pell Grant program, which would boost the maximum Pell Grant award to nearly $6,000 per student. This boost in funding will ensure that students will now stay on track for graduation with less debt and guarantees that our future workforce has the tools they need to compete in the 21st-century global economy.

In addition to providing educational opportunities for our students, the bill also includes critical investments for a variety of federal agencies that President Trump threatened to eliminate in his budget plan. Democrats successfully secured $150 million for the National Endowment for the Arts and $150 million for the National Endowment for the Humanities, $34 billion for the National Institutes of Health and an advance appropriation of $445 million for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for fiscal year 2019. The continued funding of these different agencies will allow students nationwide to gain access to the arts and expose low-income children to high-quality public programming that prepares them for success in the future.

When House Democrats and Republicans meet again in September to negotiate the next fiscal year's spending bill, I hope that the same bipartisan spirit persists. Our country can't afford to play games with our government and our President shouldn't encourage House Republicans to hold necessary spending bills hostage to fund his costly and ineffective border wall."