House Passes Government Funding Package

September 14, 2017
Press Release
(Washington, DC) – Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) issued the following statement after the House of Representatives passed H.R. 3354, the Make America Secure and Prosperous Appropriations Act. In a return to regular order appropriations process, this package of 12 bills will fund the government for fiscal year 2018.
LaMalfa said: "In July, the House passed an appropriations package that prioritized defense, national security, and care for our veterans. Now, we are taking the next step in this process and putting forward a complete package that also invests heavily in rural infrastructure, bolsters our economy, fights opioid and drug abuse, and secures our southern border. It includes many important provisions that will benefit rural communities like Northern California, including grants for improving rural infrastructure and rural businesses. This legislation represents the first time the House has passed all twelve appropriations bills on time in more than a decade. It's a big step forward for our fiscal process that desperately needed accountability."
A breakdown of the spending package is as follows:
Interior and Environment – $31.4 billion
  • $3.4 billion for wildland firefighting and prevention programs.
  • Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT): Directs key federal payments to rural counties of $465 million to offset reductions in property taxes caused by the large amounts of local lands that are owned by the federal government.
  • Increases Native American programs by $10 million.
Military Construction and Veterans Affairs – $88.8 billion
  • $78.3 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs – the VA's highest ever level of funding.
  • $10.2 billion for construction of critical military infrastructure.
  • Supports medical care for 7 million VA patients.
  • $8.4 billion for VA mental health care services.
  • $7.3 billion for homeless veterans support and job training.
  • $50 million for opioid abuse prevention.
  • Prohibits the closure of Guantanamo Naval Station.
Homeland Security – $44.3 billion
  • Provides $1.6 billion to secure the southern border.
  • $13.8 billion for Customs and Border Protection – an increase of $1.6 billion.
  • $100 million to hire 500 new border patrol agents.
  • $346 million for new border technology, aircraft and sensors, and inspection equipment.
  • $7 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement – a $619.7 million increase.
  • $1.8 billion to combat cybersecurity.
  • $7.3 billion for FEMA's disaster relief account.
Department of Defense – $658.1 billion
  • Fully funds 2.4% pay raise for troops – the largest in eight years.
  • $68.1 billion base funding for DOD.
  • $73.9 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations to maintain U.S. military superiority.
  • $241 billion for readiness programs (training, equipment, facility maintenance, and base operations).
  • $84.3 billion for research and development.
  • $149.9 billion for equipment and weapons procurement.
  • Raises troop levels, modernizes equipment, and targets resources for the development of new military capabilities.
Agriculture – $20 billion
  • $906 million to help farmers, ranchers, and private forest landowners conserve and protect their land.
  • $1.6 billion for farm programs to help farmers and ranchers with the implementation of the Farm Bill.
  • $2.8 billion for agriculture research programs, including the Agricultural Research Service and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
  • $2.6 billion for rural development programs that support economic growth.
  • $122.7 million to establish the Rural Economic Infrastructure Grant Account.
  • $6.94 billion for rural electric infrastructure.
  • $24 billion in loan authority for the Single Family Housing guaranteed loan program.
  • $819 million for the rural business and industry loan program.
  • $1.038 billion for food safety and inspection programs.
Financial Services – $20.231 billion
  • Cuts the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by $149 million to address underperformance and poor mismanagement and decision-making.
  • $848 million for the Small Business Administration (SBA) to promote opportunities for American small businesses.
  • Prevents the implementation of the Obamacare individual insurance mandate.
  • Prohibits funds to pay for an abortion with a multi-state qualified health plan, with certain exceptions.
Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education – $156 billion
  • $284 million for the Veterans Employment and Training Service (VETS) program.
  • Prohibits enforcement of the Department of Labor's "Fiduciary" rule.
  • $77.6 billion for effective and proven programs at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
  • $66 billion for the Department of Education – eliminates duplicative or ineffective programs.
  • Increases charter school funding by $28 million.
  • Prohibits use of discretionary funding to implement Obamacare.
Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development – $56.5 billion
  • $76.7 billion to improve and maintain our nation's infrastructure.
  • $45 billion for the Federal-aid Highway program.
  • $38.3 billion for the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
State and Foreign Operations – $47.4 billion
  • Funds antiterrorism, nonproliferation, and peacekeeping programs.
  • Prohibits funding to implement the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty.
Energy and Water Development – $37.6 billion
  • Strengthens national security by increasing funding to $13.9 billion for DOE's nuclear weapons program.
  • $6.16 billion for the Army Corps of Engineers – including $2.8 billion for navigation projects and $1.8 billion for flood and storm reduction activities.
  • Invests in DOE programs to move the U.S. towards energy independence.
  • Authorizes the EPA to withdraw the burdensome Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule.
Commerce, Justice, and Science – $54 billion
  • $29 billion for the Department of Justice.
  • $103 million for programs to help stem opioid abuse.
  • $19.9 billion for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
  • Prohibits transfer of detainees from Guantanamo Naval Station to the U.S.
  • Prohibits unauthorized reporting and registration requirement on consumers purchasing rifles or shotguns.
  • Continues existing pro-life policies.
Congressman Doug LaMalfa is a lifelong farmer representing California's First Congressional District, including Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou and Tehama Counties.
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Issues:Federal Spending and Borrowing