A package of five big spending bills with a cumulative worth of over $383 billion have won passage in the U.S House of Representatives on a 227 to 194 vote.
The legislation includes money for military construction, as well as transportation, housing and urban development, the environment, and veterans affairs.
More specifically, more than $100 billion in the legislation is set for military construction and veterans affairs projects, with some $140 million specifically targeting base residential facility upgrades across the country.
In a statement, New York Representative Nita Lowey, chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee, said the budget bill invests “billions in America’s infrastructure, strengthens and modernizes public housing, and delivers the promise of broadband to rural communities.”
The legislation now moves to the Senate, where Richard Shelby, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said he is hoping that senators, along with the House and the Trump Administration, will be able to come to some agreement regarding spending caps in this year’s budget.
The bill will also subjected in the next two months to conference committee negotiations between the two chambers.
By Garry Boulard
