Rep. Young Statement on House Passage of Government Funding Bill

Press Release

Rep. Todd Young released the following statement after the House of Representatives passed a government funding bill Wednesday evening by a 219-206 margin. The bill would fund most of the federal government through the end of FY2015, while only funding the Department of Homeland Security through the end of February.

"I voted in favor of today's comprehensive spending bill for several reasons. First and foremost, it keeps the federal government funded at levels consistent with the budget caps put into place last Congress. Not only does this avoid another government shutdown, but--because most of the government is funded through the end of the fiscal year--it allows us to begin the new Congress in January with a clean slate. In my first term, we spent the first few months dealing with the short-term spending mess left by the previous Congress, and next term we will begin instead by focusing on forward-looking solutions to some big challenges.

"High on that list is legislative action to fix our broken immigration system and porous southern border. Today's spending bill only funded the Department of Homeland Security through February, giving the new Republican Congress leverage to bring President Obama to the negotiating table on these issues, in stark contrast to the unilateral and partisan path he's currently on."--Rep. Todd Young (R-IN9)

In addition to funding the government, the bill does the following:

Provides $128 billion for U.S. troop pay, including a 1% raise for military personnel.

Provides $2.7 billion for the Ag Research Service (ARS), vital to helping Hoosier farmers prevent crop disease and invasive species as well as improve food safety.

Appropriates $1.5 billion for the Farm Service Agency (FSA), vital to helping farmers utilize agricultural programs at the county level.

Appropriates $159.1 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs, $505 million beyond the President's request to provide services to our nation's veterans. Included in this appropriation is $344 million to provide for a system for DOD and the VA to share electronic medical records, and $2.5 billion for the processing of disability claims.

Includes $2.5 billion in emergency funding to respond to the ongoing Ebola crisis.

Source