2018: Fitzpatrick Voted For The $1.3 Trillion FY 2018 Omnibus
Spending Deal Which Raised Spending By $138 Billion Over FY 2017
Levels, Including $9.9 Billion For Head Start. In March 2018,
Fitzpatrick voted for the FY 2018 Omnibus spending bill. According to
Congressional Quarterly, "Combined, the spending measures would provide
about $1.3 trillion in discretionary spending, with $1.2 trillion
subject to discretionary spending caps, and $78.1 billion designated as
Overseas Contingency Operations funds. The measure's spending levels
are consistent with the increased defense and non-defense budget caps
set by the two-year budget deal agreed to last month. That agreement
increased the FY 2018 defense cap by $80 billion and the non-defense
cap by $63 billion. Given that the previous caps were set to reduce
overall discretionary spending by $5 billion, the net increase provided
by the omnibus is $138 billion over the FY 2017 level." The vote was on
the motion to concur in the Senate Amendment with an Amendment. The
House agreed to the motion, thereby passing the bill, by a vote of 256
to 167. The Senate later agreed to the legislation, sending it to the
president, who signed it into law. [House Vote 127,
3/22/18; Congressional
Quarterly, 3/22/18; Congressional
Actions, H.R.
1625]
2017: Fitzpatrick Voted Against The FY 2018 Congressional Progressive
Caucus's Budget Resolution, Which Among Other Things, Increased Taxes On
The Rich And Corporations And Called For Funding For Universal Pre-K.
In October 2017, Fitzpatrick voted against an FY 2018 CPC budget
resolution. According to Congressional Quarterly, the resolution would
"provide for $3.8 trillion in new budget authority in fiscal 2018, not
including off-budget accounts. It would raise overall spending by $3.5
trillion over 10 years and would increase revenues by $8.2 trillion
over the same period through policies that would increase taxes for
corporations and high-income individuals. It would repeal the Budget
Control Act sequester and caps on discretionary spending, would modify
the tax code by adding five higher marginal tax rates, would create a
public insurance option to be sold within the current health insurance
exchanges and would call for implementation of comprehensive immigration
overhaul." In additional, also according to Congressional Quarterly,
"The Progressive Caucus' budget plan calls for $562 billion in defense
discretionary spending and $630 billion in nondefense discretionary
spending during this fiscal year. It would also propose $2 trillion in
infrastructure spending over 10 years --- financed in part by a $10.25
per barrel tax on oil --- a 3.5 percent increase for nondefense spending
by 2022, and funding for universal pre-kindergarten." The amendment was
a substitute amendment for the GOP's FY 2018 budget resolution in part
designed to start the process for tax reform. The House rejected the
amendment by a vote of 108 to 314. [House Vote 553,
10/4/17; Congressional
Quarterly, 10/4/17; Congressional
Quarterly,
10/3/17;
Congressional Actions, H. Amdt.
453;
Congressional Actions, H. Con. Res.
71]