Washington, DC—Today, U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28), a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, voted to pass legislation that will keep the government open through December 16.
This bipartisan legislation is a temporary measure to afford Congress sufficient time to complete the fiscal year 2023 omnibus. The bill provides relief to communities recovering from natural disasters as well as for border patrol personnel responding to the migrant crisis.
“Our country is facing many challenges, including high costs of living and a crisis at our southern border,” said Congressman Cuellar, a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee. “This bill is an important stopgap measure to ensure our government can continue providing resources and support to Texans during these trying times. However, we must work diligently to reach an agreement on the full FY23 government spending bills. These pieces of legislation include more funding for law enforcement, for our allies, and for Americans working hard to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. I thank my colleagues, on both sides of the aisle, for working together on this bill and look forward to our continued work resolving our most pressing issues.”
More specifically, the legislation:
Extends funding for vital federal agencies, including education, health, housing, and public safety programs, through December 16. This continued funding grows opportunity through early childhood education, invests in our schools and high-quality job training programs, provides critical nutrition assistance and affordable housing opportunities, secures our nation, and supports our veterans.
Invests an additional $1 billion for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to help address pressure on low-income households’ pocketbooks due to inflation;
Includes $2 billion for the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery program to aid the long-term housing, infrastructure and economic recovery needs of communities impacted by disasters in 2021 and 2022;
Includes language that allows the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to obligate up to the full year amount available under the continuing resolution for the Disaster Relief Fund if needed to respond to declared disasters
The text of the bill is here. A summary of the bill is here. A one-page fact sheet on the bill is here.
