Cole Applauds Bipartisan Consolidated Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2017

"This bill, which went through bipartisan negotiation, will fund the government through September 30^th. The Labor, Health and Human Services and Related Agencies component, which I oversee, is $2.8 billion less than President Obama requested last year, and cuts total spending by $1 billion compared to last year. The bill was written with bipartisan input, and I am pleased that we were able to find common ground on both sides of the aisle.

"More importantly, we shifted spending to our most important priorities, such as biomedical research, biodefense programs, education programs and efforts to prevent opioid abuse. Further, in a major victory for President Trump, the Pentagon received $20 billion more than last year and $16.3 billion more than President Obama requested. In another victory for President Trump, funding for border security increased by $1.5 billion.

"I am especially pleased that the Labor, Health and Human Services and Related Agencies (LHHS) appropriations subcommittee secured $34.1 billion for the National Institutes of Health, a $2 billion increase from Fiscal Year 2016. It will continue to fund critical programs including $1.39 billion for Alzheimer's research, $5.7 billion for the National Cancer Institute and $12.6 million for the continuation of the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act.

"The LHHS provisions also includes $7.2 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a $22 million increase from Fiscal Year 2016. It will preserve the continuation of the CDC's Public Health Preparedness and Response programs, as well as $112 million for expansions to combat prescription drug abuse.

"We've also been able to increase funding for children with disabilities by $90 million from Fiscal Year 2016, pushing the program to over $12 billion for Fiscal Year 2017. In addition, Impact Aid, which is critically important to Oklahoma, received over $1.3 billion, a $23 million increase from Fiscal Year 2016. TRIO and GEAR UP, programs also critical to Oklahoma, received increases of $50 million and $17 million respectively.

"I'd like to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for working diligently to develop a comprehensive, bipartisan funding bill that includes significant investments in some of our nation's most vital programs. This bill is a clear example that Congress can work together and I hope this trend continues into the negotiations for the Fiscal Year 2018 appropriations process," concluded Cole.

For more details on the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017, please click here.