CONGRESSMAN JOE MORELLE TAKES ACTION TO FUND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, DELIVER ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR ROCHESTER

(Washington, D.C.) — Today, Congressman Joe Morelle took action to uplift the people of Rochester, deliver critical resources for programs families rely on, and fully fund the federal government for the remainder of this fiscal year. His vote to pass the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024 marks the second time this month he has supported legislation containing funding for the federal government.

“As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I’m proud to have helped craft this legislation which takes steps to lower the cost of living, protect women’s rights, reinforce America’s global leadership, and help better protect our communities from violence—all while preventing the enactment of policies proposed by House Republicans to restrict women’s reproductive freedoms and make devastating cuts to K-12 and higher education programs across the country,” said Congressman Joe Morelle. “Passing this legislation means we’ve fulfilled our promise to American families and ensured the programs and services they rely on can continue operating. I’m once again grateful to Leader Jeffries and Ranking Member DeLauro for their leadership, and I look forward to continuing my work alongside my colleagues on the committee as we shift our attention to next year’s government funding package.”

Highlights of this appropriations package include investments in:

Bolstering Security at Home and Abroad

• $20.3 billion for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster response and recovery efforts;
• $274.5 million for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, which provides funding support for target hardening and other physical security enhancements and activities to nonprofit organizations that are at high risk of terrorist attack;
• $50 million for Middle East Partnership for Peace Program (MEPPA) to advance peaceful co-existence between Israelis and Palestinians to enable a sustainable two-state solution;
• $29.9 million to support the safe reunification of families who were unjustly separated at the U.S.-Mexico border by the Trump Administration.
• 12,000 new Special Immigrant Visas, enabling more of our Afghan Allies to continue the process of resettling in the United States.

Growing Our Economy

• $1.1 billion for the Small Business Association to support investments in programs to help underserved entrepreneurs access capital and contracting opportunities, including:
  • $140 million for Small Business Development Centers;
  • $27 million for the Federal and State Technology Partnership Program, Growth Accelerators, and Regional Innovation Clusters;
  • $27 million for Women’s Business Centers;
• $12.3 billion for the IRS, allowing them to ensure America's taxpayers understand and meet their tax responsibilities and to enforce the law with integrity and fairness

Uplifting Families

• $12.3 billion for Head Start programs, providing education, health, and nutrition services to children from at-risk backgrounds—those living in poverty, in foster care, or experiencing homelessness—as well as employment and educational support to their parents;
• $4 billion for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Programs (LIHEAP), which provide federally funded assistance to reduce the costs associated with home energy bills, energy crises, weatherization, and minor energy-related home repairs.
• $286 million for Title X Family Planning, the only domestic federal program dedicated to family planning and related preventive health services;
• $36 million for Special Olympic education programs, giving students with intellectual disabilities a higher quality educational experience.

Supporting Servicemembers and Their Families

• Contains provisions to raise military pay by 5.2 percent and the Basic Allowance for Housing by 5.4 percent for military personnel and their families;
• Protects women’s rights by preventing Republicans from cutting the Defense Department’s travel policy to ensure servicemembers and their families can access reproductive healthcare;
• Rejects harmful language proposed by House Republicans to ban the use of funds to implement climate-related policies, block funds for diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, and ban the flying of the Pride flag;
• Includes $39.9 billion for medical and healthcare programs of the Department of Defense.

The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024 includes funding for six of the twelve appropriations bills required to be passed by Congress once per fiscal year. The six bills included in this legislation are: Defense; Financial Services and General Government; Homeland Security; Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies; Legislative Branch; and, State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs.

This legislation has been passed by the House of Representatives and must be passed by the Senate and signed into law by the President to avert a government shutdown. To learn more, read the summary provided by the House Committee on Appropriations here.

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