Research | The Leader Board | THE NEWSROOM | Republican LeaderSkip to primary navigation Skip to content×Close THE NEWSROOMRemarks Press Releases The Leader Board Op-Eds Videos SENATE RESOURCESRepublican Senators Committees Congressional Record Congress.gov Senate Floor Webcast ABOUT LEADER McCONNELL×Close THE NEWSROOMRemarks Press Releases The Leader Board Op-Eds Videos SENATE RESOURCESRepublican Senators Committees Congressional Record Congress.gov Senate Floor Webcast ABOUT LEADER McCONNELLxxsearchxMENUFacebookTwitterInstagramFacebookTwitterInstagramVisit Senator McConnell's site here THE NEWSROOMRemarks Press Releases The Leader Board Op-Eds Videos SENATE RESOURCESRepublican Senators Committees Congressional Record Congress.gov Senate Floor Webcast ABOUT LEADER McCONNELLxxsearchxMENUHomeTHE NEWSROOMThe Leader Board03.04.24Congressional Republicans Secure Important Spending & Policy Wins In AppropriationsFrom Cutting Wasteful Spending To Blocking Far-Left Policy Riders And Enhancing America’s National Security, House And Senate Republicans Significantly Improved The First Six Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations BillsSENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE VICE CHAIR SUSAN COLLINS (R-ME): “From supporting America’s veterans, servicemembers, farmers, and rural areas to improving our infrastructure, energy independence, and housing and workforce opportunities, these bills will make a real difference in communities throughout the United States. Members of the Appropriations Committee in both chambers have worked very hard to reach agreements on the bill text unveiled today. I look forward to working with Chair Murray and our colleagues to bring this legislation to the Senate floor for a vote without any further delay.” (U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair, Press Release, 3/03/2024)SEN. JOHN BOOZMAN (R-AR), SUBCOMMITTEE ON MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, VETERANS AFFAIRS, AND RELATED AGENCIES RANKING MEMBER: “I’m proud to support critical investments enhancing health care and benefits for veterans. The MilCon-VA bill will also improve the quality of life for servicemembers and their families while bolstering our national defense capabilities in Arkansas.” (Sen. Boozman, @JohnBoozman, Twitter, 3/04/2024)SEN. CINDY HYDE-SMITH (R-MS), SUBCOMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES RANKING MEMBER: “Hard negotiations have brought us to a point where we can recommend a fiscally-responsible FY2024 T-HUD package that can meet the pressing transportation, housing, and community development needs in our country. This agreement includes modest funding increases that are below those of the President’s budget request, while still meeting the safety functions and program needs of these agencies. As a conservative, this bill is worthy of bipartisan support and of becoming law.” (Sen. Hyde-Smith, Press Release, 3/03/2024)SEN. JOHN HOEVEN (R-ND), SUBCOMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES RANKING MEMBER: “The FY24 Agriculture Appropriations Bill supports our farmers and ranchers while finding savings to help with the debt and deficit. As the lead Republican on the Senate Ag Appropriations Committee, we worked to fund priorities for our producers, bolster agriculture research and support rural communities.” (Sen. Hoeven, Press Release, 3/03/2024)HOUSE SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): “House Republicans secured key conservative policy victories, rejected left-wing proposals, and imposed sharp cuts to agencies and programs critical to the President Biden’s agenda.” (Speaker Johnson, @SpeakerJohnson, Twitter, 3/03/2024)HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE CHAIRWOMAN KAY GRANGER (R-TX): “The final Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations bills achieve what we set out to do: strategically increase defense spending and make targeted cuts to wasteful non-defense programs. Even with a Democrat as President, a divided Congress, and a slim Majority, House Republicans, led by Speaker Johnson, maintained longstanding legacy riders that Democrats sought to repeal, rejected harmful policies proposed in the President’s Budget and Senate bills, and fought for and secured conservative wins.” (U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee, Press Release, 3/03/2024)The House and Senate Appropriations Committees on Sunday released the text of the first six appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2024 that are the results of bipartisan and bicameral agreements. The bills include Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies; Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies; Energy and Water Development; Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies; Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies.Republicans Secured Significant Spending Cuts In These Appropriations BillsThis Agreement Cuts The EPA’s Budget By Nearly 10%, Cuts The ATF’s Budget By 7%, And Slashes $275 Million From The Biden Administration’s Requests For ‘Environmental Justice’ Funding“Reduces funding for the Environmental Protection Agency by nearly 10%.” (“Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024,” U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee Release, 3/03/2024)“Cuts the Administration’s Environmental Justice Budget Request by $275 million.” (“Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024,” U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee Release, 3/03/2024)“Reduces the ATF’s funding by $122 million, representing a 7% cut.” (“Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024,” U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee Release, 3/03/2024)The Agreement Cuts Over $3 Billion From Grant Programs In The Departments Of Transportation And Housing And Urban Development, And Cuts Another $2.6 Billion Of Biden Administration Programs That Included Wasteful Green New Deal Spending“Cut[s] $3.245 billion from the FY23 enacted levels across 19 DOT and HUD grant programs …” (“Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024,” U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee Release, 3/03/2024)“Reject[s] the Administration’s request for additional programs and initiatives totaling nearly $2.641 billion, including: … $26 million to electrify DOT’s federal vehicle fleet … $300 million in ‘Green New Deal’ grants to promote environmental justice priorities in public housing … $100 million to resurrect the Build Back Better housing agenda …” (“Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024,” U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee Release, 3/03/2024)Also Eliminated Is Any Funding For Biden’s New Deal Retread Civilian Climate Corps That He Tried To Create Without Congressional Authorization“Zeroing out requested funding for Biden Admin Climate Corps efforts in the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.” (“Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024,” U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee Release, 3/03/2024)Republicans Ensured This Appropriations Agreement Boosts National SecurityThe Agreement Includes Nearly $20 Billion To Continue Modernizing America’s Nuclear Deterrence And $2 Billion For Military Construction Focused On The Pacific“Uphold[s] the nation’s nuclear deterrence posture, including: $19.108 billion for the continued modernization of the nuclear weapons stockpile and infrastructure; $1.946 billion to support the operational nuclear naval fleet, Columbia-class submarine reactor development, and research and development for current and future generations of nuclear-powered warships; and $2.581 billion to reduce the danger of hostile nations or terrorist groups acquiring nuclear devices, radiological dispersal devices, weapons-usable material, and nuclear expertise.” (“Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024,” U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee Release, 3/03/2024)“Provides $2 billion above the President’s Budget Request for military construction, focusing investments on the Pacific theater, barracks, and other quality-of-life projects.” (“Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024,” U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee Release, 3/03/2024)The Agreement Maintains A Longstanding Prohibition Against Democrat Administrations’ Attempts To Close The Detention Facility In Guantanamo Bay And Prohibits Funding For Housing Those Terror Detainees In The U.S.Maintains “[a] prohibition on the closure of Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and the use of military construction funds to build facilities for detainees on U.S. soil.” (“Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024,” U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee Release, 3/03/2024)The Appropriations Bills Work Towards Reducing Reliance On Foreign Sources Of Critical Minerals, Including Uranium“Reduces reliance on foreign sources of critical minerals by maintaining strong support for domestic production.” (“Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024,” U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee Release, 3/03/2024)“Support[s] domestic uranium enrichment capabilities, including high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) availability, which is essential to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign sources to power current and future commercial nuclear reactors.” (“Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024,” U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee Release, 3/03/2024)The Appropriations Require Increased Scrutiny Of Chinese And Other Adversaries’ Attempts To Purchase Farmland In The U.S.“Adding the Secretary of Agriculture to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to review agricultural transactions and also requiring the notification of CFIUS of agricultural land transactions of national security concern, including purchases made by China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran.” (“Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024,” U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee Release, 3/03/2024)The Appropriations Bills Support Our VeteransThe Agreement Fully Funds Veterans’ Health Programs And Protects Their 2nd Amendment Rights“Supports American values and principles by: Fully funding veterans’ health care programs.” (“Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024,” U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee Release, 3/03/2024)“Protect[s] the 2nd Amendment rights of veterans by preventing the VA from sending information to the FBI about veterans without a judge’s consent.” (“Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024,” U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee Release, 3/03/2024)SEN. JOHN KENNEDY (R-LA), Senate Appropriations Committee Member: “Veterans who sacrificed to defend our Constitution shouldn’t see their own rights rest on the judgment of unelected bureaucrats—but right now, they do. My amendment would prevent government workers from unduly stripping veterans of their right to bear arms. Every veteran who bravely serves our country has earned VA benefits, and it’s wrong for the government to punish veterans who get a helping hand to manage those resources.” (Sen. Kennedy, Press Release, 3/04/2024)Republicans Fought For And Won Key Reforms In Many Areas Of The Federal GovernmentRepublicans Redirected Justice Department Agencies Back To Their Core Functions Of Protecting The Public And Public Officials And Prohibited Them From Investigating Parents And Churches For Exercising Their 1st Amendment Rights“Prohibits the DOJ from targeting or investigating parents who exercise their right to free speech at local school board meetings [and p]rohibits the DOJ from investigating or prosecuting churches on the basis of their religious beliefs.” (“Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024,” U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee Release, 3/03/2024)“Requiring the U.S. Marshals to fully enforce their obligation under federal law to protect Supreme Court Justices.” (“Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024,” U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee Release, 3/03/2024)“Increases the DEA’s funding to expand its efforts to combat fentanyl.” (“Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024,” U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee Release, 3/03/2024)Republicans Reined In The Fish And Wildlife Service, Making Sure Local Communities, Farmers And Ranchers Are More Involved In Endangered Species Determinations, And Protected Public Access To Federal Lands For Recreational Activities“Restricting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s ability to list species under the Endangered Species Act by reducing funding for that activity and giving specific direction for the agency to collaborate with local communities and stakeholders to avoid the unnecessary listing of key species.” (“Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024,” U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee Release, 3/03/2024)“Includes language to protect public access for hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting on federal lands.” (“Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024,” U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee Release, 3/03/2024)Republicans Prohibited Federal Mask Mandates On Public Transportation“Prohibit[s] [the Department of Transportation] from enforcing COVID-19 mask mandates on public transportation conveyances and transportation hubs.” (“Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024,” U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee Release, 3/03/2024)Republicans Also Rejected Multiple Harmful Democrat Policies In These Appropriations BillsRepublican appropriators “[rejected] policy provisions included in the President’s Budget Request that would have reduced domestic energy production, driven up oil and gas prices, and increased U.S. dependence on foreign oil.” (“Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024,” U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee Release, 3/03/2024)Republicans also rejected Democrat demands to:“[Replace] Department of Commerce and DOJ vehicle fleets with electric vehicles, saving taxpayers nearly $54 million.” (“Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024,” U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee Release, 3/03/2024)“[Continued] unjustified and unsustainable growth in spending on climate change programs.” (“Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024,” U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee Release, 3/03/2024)“[Continue] wasteful spending on diversity, equity, and inclusion programming at the VA.” (“Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024,” U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee Release, 3/03/2024)###SENATE REPUBLICAN COMMUNICATIONS CENTERRelated Issues: Second Amendment, China, Law Enforcement, Appropriations, Green New Deal, Energy, Veterans, Guantanamo Detention Facility, First Amendment, National SecurityPrintEmailTweetPreviousTHE NEWSROOMSENATE RESOURCESABOUT LEADER McCONNELLFacebookTwitterInstagram
