2019: Fitzpatrick Voted For The FY 2020 Minibus Appropriations Bill,
Which Provided $49.3 Billion In Funding For The Federal Highway
Administration. In December 2019, Fitzpatrick voted for the FY 2020
minibus spending bill, which represented 8 of the 12 appropriations
bills. According to Congressional Quarterly, "The measure provides
$49.3 billion in spending authority for programs and activities of the
Federal Highway Administration ($13 million more than FY 2019 and $2.1
billion, or 4%, more than requested) and it increases funding for both
the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Federal
Motor Carrier Safety Administration FMCSA. NHTSA would receive $989
million (2% more than FY 2019 and 6% more than requested) and FMCSA
would receive $679 million (2% more FY 2019 funding and slightly more
than the request." The vote was a motion to concur in the Senate
amendment. The House agreed to the motion by a vote of 297-120. The
Senate later passed the bill and the President signed the bill into law.
[House Vote 689,
12/17/19; Congressional
Quarterly, 12/17/19;
Congressional Actions,
H.R.1865]
2018: Fitzpatrick Voted For The $1.3 Trillion FY 2018 Omnibus
Spending Deal Which Raised Spending By $138 Billion Over FY 2017
Levels, Including $2.5 Billion In New Federal Highway Grants. 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]
Legislation Included $2.5 Billion In New Federal Highway Money,
Including A $1 Billion Increase In TIGER Grants. According to the
Democrats on the House Appropriations committee, "The Omnibus
includes $2.525 billion in new funding for highway formula grants;
$1 billion increase for the National Infrastructure Investment
(TIGER) grants program; $232 million increase for subway, light
rail, and commuter rail transit systems; and a $446.6 million
increase for Amtrak. It includes a $305 million increase for
Community Development Block Grants (CDBG). It includes a $789
million increase for Army Corps of Engineers water resources
projects, including funding for new starts. It also includes a $1.8
billion increase for rural water and wastewater treatment; and a
$2.1 billion increase for rural broadband." [House Appropriations
Committee Democrats, Accessed
4/4/18]
Bill Did Not Explicitly Fund The Gateway Program, Which Is A New
Rail Tunnel Between Manhattan And New Jersey, But The Bill Did Not
Prohibit The Project From Getting Money Via Other Accounts.
According to the Washington Post, "Numerous transportation programs
get funding increases in the bill, but the debate leading up to its
release focused on one megaproject: The Gateway program, aimed at
improving rail access to and from Manhattan on Amtrak and New Jersey
Transit. Trump made it a signature fight, largely to punish Senate
Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and other Democratic
backers of the project who have held up other Trump initiatives, and
Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao told Congress this month that
the project simply wasn't ready for prime time. The project is not
mentioned in the bill, and Republican aides say that they turned
back efforts to essentially earmark federal funding for the project.
But Democrats say that the project is still eligible for as much as
$541 million in funding this fiscal year through accounts that Chao
does not control. The project might also still qualify for other
pools of money, though it will have to compete with other projects
on an equal playing field." [Washington Post,
3/22/18]
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 $20 Billion In Infrastructure 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 Against The FY 2018 Congressional Progressive
Caucus's Budget Resolution, Which Among Other Things, Increased Taxes On
The Rich And Corporations And Called For Increasing Investment In
Infrastructure By $2 Trillion Over Ten Years. 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]