Senate Appropriations Committee Approves Military Construction-VA Bill, Agriculture-FDA Bill, and Subcommittee Allocations

Press Release

"I know members on both sides of the aisle, including myself, are concerned about the really challenging toplines in the debt ceiling agreement that we must now work with. This is not an agreement that I would have made--and as I said on the floor when the Senate considered the legislation--I am worried about how it will limit our ability to make necessary investments in our country's future. But we have a critical job to do as appropriators and as Members of Congress--and I am determined to get it done, and I know Vice Chair Collins is, too.

"We have got to forge ahead and work together to write and pass the strongest possible bills and find solutions to problems people are facing. And I know my colleagues up and down this dais share that commitment. At every stage of this process, I am going to be fighting to protect key investments in families across the country and in our country's future. And I am going to ensure we adhere to the deal that President Biden and Speaker McCarthy negotiated and Congress passed just a few weeks ago. That includes making full use of all the resources in the agreement, honoring its terms, and working at every step of the way to lessen the blow of the cuts and caps.

"The task of funding our government is never an easy one--and this year, these limits will make it more difficult. But I am determined to keep this process moving here in the Senate in an orderly and timely way and to protect key investments that make a world of difference in the lives of working people--in the lives of kids and families everywhere. And I know my colleagues share that commitment."

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"We have an obligation to take care of our veterans when they come home--and a responsibility to ensure we have the world-class military infrastructure we need to support our servicemembers and keep our nation safe. Despite working under challenging circumstances, we've put together a strong, bipartisan bill to fund VA and military construction. This bill will help construct everything from housing to child care centers for our servicemembers and military families, make critical upgrades to installations, and strengthen our presence in key regions around the world. It also ensures we keep our promises to the men and women who have served our country by fully funding VA and veterans' medical care and benefits. Our legislation will increase funding for mental health and suicide prevention programs for veterans, get women veterans the medical care they need, support the expansion of the caregivers program, and so much more."

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"At the most basic level: we can't have strong communities if families can't put food on the table or kids go hungry--that's as important as it is obvious. So we have put forward a serious, bipartisan bill that will help prevent families from going hungry and support farmers all across the country. I'm proud that--despite the constraints we are working with--here in the Senate, we are fully funding nutrition programs and boosting funding for WIC, critical agricultural research, and more. This bill also recognizes the direct connection between FDA having the resources it needs and the health and safety of American families. Every time families back in Washington state go to the grocery store, fill a prescription, or rely on a medical device, they're really putting their trust in FDA and their experts to uphold the gold standard of safety and effectiveness. This legislation will help ensure FDA can meet its mission on behalf of the American people and will for the first time ever fund FDA's new ability to regulate cosmetics and protect consumers."

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