Jackson Purchase News

In a joint statement released on February 28, 2024, Speaker Johnson, Leader Schumer, Leader McConnell, Leader Jeffries, House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Granger, Ranking Member DeLauro, Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Murray, and Vice Chair Collins emphasized the importance of bipartisan cooperation in funding the government.

The leaders announced that negotiators have reached an agreement on six appropriation bills, including Agriculture-FDA, Commerce-Justice and Science, Energy and Water Development, Interior, Military Construction-VA, and Transportation-HUD. These bills are set to be voted on and enacted before March 8, in adherence to the Fiscal Responsibility Act discretionary spending limits and January's topline spending agreement.

Furthermore, the statement outlined the timeline for finalizing the remaining six Appropriations bills, which include Defense, Financial Services and General Government, Homeland Security, Labor-HHS, Legislative Branch, and State and Foreign Operations. These bills are expected to be voted on and enacted before March 22.

To ensure that the House and Senate Appropriations Committee have adequate time to execute the agreement, a short-term continuing resolution will be put in place to fund agencies through March 8 and March 22. This resolution will allow members 72 hours to review the agreements before the final votes in the House and Senate.

The statement concluded with a commitment to fulfilling the appropriations agreement and ensuring the government is funded in a timely and responsible manner.