RELEASE:
COCHRAN ENCOURAGES APPROVAL OF FY2016 OMNIBUS APPROPRIATIONS BILL
Bill Funds Troops, Veterans & Border Security, and Rescinds Billions of Dollars
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) today advocated for approval of the omnibus appropriations act, which sets spending priorities for national defense and domestic programs for fiscal year 2016.
The FY2016 omnibus appropriations legislation, which was filed late Tuesday night, is a $1.149 trillion package of all 12 annual appropriations bills that will fund government operations for fiscal year 2016 in accordance with the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015.
“I support the approval of the omnibus bill by the Senate. This legislation is our best option to responsibly meet national security requirements, improve our country’s infrastructure and address other public needs. We’ve worked on a bipartisan basis to produce a bill that will make important investments to aid our economy and promote more effective and efficient government,” Cochran said.
“The Senate Committee on Appropriations worked diligently to approve 12 individual appropriations bills in a timely manner. It is unfortunate that the Senate did not consider those measures, but this omnibus bill builds on the Committee’s work and reflects many of the priorities of the Senate as expressed to us in the thousands of requests that we received,” he said.
The omnibus legislation maintains total discretionary funding at the same estimated percentage of GDP as in 2015, which is the lowest percentage level in at least the last decade.
The legislation does not fund more than 95 new programs or initiatives proposed in the President’s FY2016 budget request, in addition to consolidating or terminating dozens of programs throughout the budget. The measure also rescinds more than $5.5 billion in spending. The bill and accompanying statement include numerous provisions that guard against executive branch excess and seek to reduce waste, fraud and abuse.
In addition to the appropriations measures, the omnibus legislation also contains other matters such as tax-relief provisions, cybersecurity and intelligence-related measures, and the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Reauthorization Act.
12/15/15
Magnolia Tribune
