2018: Fitzpatrick Voted For An FY 2019 Conference Report Minibus
Spending Bill And Continuing Resolution That Appropriated $39.1 Billion
For The NIH. In September 2018, Fitzpatrick voted for an FY 2019
Labor, HHS, Education, and Defense minibus spending bill conference
report. According to Congressional Quarterly, "Adoption of the
conference report on the bill that would provide $855.1 billion in
discretionary funding for fiscal 2019 to various departments and
agencies, including $674.4 billion for the Defense Department and
$178.1 billion for the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education
departments. The Defense Department total would include $606.5 billion
in base Defense Department funding subject to spending caps, and would
include $67.9 billion in overseas contingency operations funding. The
bill would provide $90.3 billion in discretionary spending for the
Health and Human Services Department, $71.4 billion for the Education
Department and $12.1 billion for the Labor Department. The measure
would also provide funding for federal government operations until Dec.
7, 2018, at an annualized rate of approximately $1.3 trillion." The
vote was on passage. The House passed the bill by a vote of 361 to 61.
The president later signed the bill into law. [House Vote 405,
9/26/18; Congressional
Quarterly, 9/26/18;
Congressional Actions, H.R.
6157]
2018: Fitzpatrick Voted For The $1.3 Trillion FY 2018 Omnibus
Spending Deal Which Raised Spending By $138 Billion Over FY 2017
Levels, Including A $3.0 Billion Increase In NIH Funding. 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]
2018: Fitzpatrick Voted For A February 2018 Two-Year Budget Deal
Which, Among Other Things, Increased Spending By $300 Billion,
Suspended The Debt Ceiling, Reauthorized Community Health Centers For
Two Years And Provided $2 Billion In NIH Funding. In February 2018,
Fitzpatrick voted for a two-year budget deal that re-opened the
government after a brief shutdown. According to the New York Times,
"With Mr. Trump's signature, the government will reopen before many
Americans were aware it had closed, with a deal that includes about
$300 billion in additional funds over two years for military and
nonmilitary programs, almost $90 billion in disaster relief in response
to last year's hurricanes and wildfires, and a higher statutory debt
ceiling." In addition, according to Congressional Quarterly, the
legislation "would provide funding for federal government operations and
services at current levels through March 23, 2018 [...] [and]
retroactively extends numerous tax breaks that expired at the end of
2016. It also extends the CHIP program for another four years (through
FY 2027) and funds community health centers for another two years." The
vote was on a motion to concur in the Senate amendment to the House
amendment to the bill. The House agreed to the motion, essentially on
passage, by a vote of 240 to 186. The bill was then sent to the
president, who signed it into law. [House Vote 69,
2/9/18; New York Times,
2/8/18;
Congressional Quarterly,
2/9/18; Congressional Actions,
H.R.
1892]
2017: Fitzpatrick Voted For The May 2017 FY 2017 Omnibus
Appropriations Bill That Increased Funding For The NIH By $2 Billion.
In May 2017, Fitzpatrick voted for the FY 2017 omnibus appropriations
bill that would keep much of the government open and would have provided
$1.16 trillion in discretionary spending. According to Congressional
Quarterly, "The measure provide[d] $34.1 billion for the National
Institutes of Health (NIH), $2 billion (6%) more than the FY 2016 level
and $3 million (10%) more than requested. It increase[d] for all NIH
research programs, including those related to Alzheimer's disease,
antibiotics and the Precision Medicine initiative." Overall, the
legislation would have, according to Congressional Quarterly,
"provide[d] $1.16 trillion in discretionary appropriations through
Sept. 30, 2017 for federal departments and agencies covered by the
remaining 11 fiscal 2017 spending bills. [...] The measure would also
[have] provide[d] $608 million for health benefits for retired coal
miners, $296 million for Medicaid payments to Puerto Rico, and $341
million to replace 40 miles of existing fencing along the southwestern
border, though the designs of the fencing must have been 'previously
deployed'." The vote was on a motion to concur in the Senate amendments.
The House agreed to the motion by a vote of 309 to 118. The Senate later
also agreed to the legislation, sending the bill to the president, who
signed it into law. [House Vote 249,
5/3/17; Roll Call,
5/2/17;
Congressional Quarterly, 5/2/17;
Congressional Quarterly, 5/4/17;
Congressional Actions, H.R.
244]