Appropriations Committee Chairman Frelinghuysen Statement on Legislation Funding the Government Through February 8, 2019

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen gave the following statement on the introduction of a short-term Continuing Resolution (CR) to prevent a government shutdown and continue funding for critical federal programs and services until February 8, 2019: 

“While I would have preferred to see the year end with the completion of all 12 Appropriations bills, at this point, we must move forward with a Continuing Resolution to keep the government running and fund basic services American families rely on. 

“This year, we made great strides to get back to regular order – in fact funding nearly 75 percent of the government on time for the first time in over two decades – and that progress was incredibly important for national security and other critical priorities. I had hoped to continue this work with the remaining 25 percent of the federal government.

“However, as we’ve clearly seen over the past several weeks, there is still a broad ideological divide when it comes to securing our borders. Despite these differences of opinion, we all agree that a government shutdown is unacceptable. This measure gives the House of Representatives, Senate, and White House additional time to come to a responsible compromise that puts the security of our nation first.”

The Continuing Resolution extends funding through February 8, 2019, for the remaining seven Appropriations bills that have not yet been enacted into law.

These bills comprise 25 percent of the federal government, and include funding for the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Treasury, State, and Homeland Security, as well as the Food and Drug Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the federal judiciary, and other related government programs.

The legislation continues all policy and funding provisions included in the current Continuing Resolution (H.J. Res. 143), which expires this Friday, December 21. The includes extensions (through the duration of the new CR) of: the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA); the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program; the Pesticide Registration Improvement Renewal Act (PRIA); the National Flood Insurance Program; and certain immigration programs, including E-Verify, H2-B, and EB-5.

The CR also includes a limited number of additional provisions needed to prevent catastrophic, irreversible, or detrimental changes to government programs, to support national security and public health, and to make technical adjustments. These include:

• An extension of the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards Act (for the duration of the CR);
• An extension of two expiring provisions of the Pandemic All-Hazards Preparedness Act (for the duration of the CR); and
• Extensions of critical Medicaid provisions (through March 31, 2019).

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