Hoyer Statement on House Passage of Government Funding Bill

WASHINGTON, DC – House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today on House passage of the Department of Defense and the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2019, along with a continuing resolution to fund remaining government agencies through December 7:

“This afternoon, the House passed legislation to fund for the next fiscal year our military and critical programs that safeguard our nation’s health, educate our people, and protect our workers.  It will also ensure that those agencies without a full-year agreement will remain open through December 7.  It is now the President’s responsibility to sign this bill and keep the government open. 

“I am pleased that Democrats were successful in working with Republicans to move this minibus appropriations package through Congress free from partisan riders or severe cuts to programs that help workers access economic opportunities.  Just as it is the responsibility of the President to sign this bill, it is the obligation of Congress to build on it by finishing the job.  This means Republicans must drop unrelated policy riders so that we can agree on truly bipartisan appropriations before the December 7 deadline for those agencies whose full-year funding remains uncertain.  I know how hard Ranking Member Lowey and the Members of the Appropriations Committee have been working to achieve that, and I sincerely hope that neither side will allow politics to get in the way of the vital work of averting a government shutdown in December.”