Emanuel Cleaver: Passage of government funding package avoids unnecessary shutdown

(From Fifth District Congressman Emanuel Cleaver)

I have always said that democracy demands compromise, and while I have never seen a government funding package that I found perfect, the bipartisan budget signed into law by President Biden was exactly what one would expect from divided government - a fair compromise between the Republican-controlled House of Representatives and the Democratic-controlled Senate. 

Rather than forcing a shutdown that would have hurt families throughout Missouri, as more than half of Republicans in the House voted to do, I joined with nearly every Democrat and voted to keep the government open and services running for the people of Missouri. 

Although I was disappointed that the funding package did not include security assistance for our allies around the world or humanitarian relief for innocent civilians in Gaza, I'm hopeful that when Congress returns to session later today, we can move forward with both of those priorities.

However, I'm also happy to report the package included some important provisions that I have long supported, including:

$1 billion increase in funding for child care and Head Start;

$120 million increase in funding for cancer research at the National Institutes of Health;

$100 million increase for research dedicated to Alzheimer's and Alzheimer's disease-related dementias;
The rejection of Republican cuts to education funding that would have risked 224,000 teacher jobs, devastated the Job Corps, and dismantled more than twenty K-12 and higher education programs that support students nationwide;

12,000 more Special Immigrant Visas for Afghans that assisted the United States and our men and women in uniform in Afghanistan; and

$1 billion increase in climate change resilience at the Department of Defense.

With the passage of this government funding package, the federal government is now funded through the rest of Fiscal Year 2024, ensuring American families and workers can rest a little easier knowing a government shutdown is not on the horizon. 

As Congress quickly moves toward preparing a federal budget for the next fiscal year, however, please know that I will continue to fight for investments in hardworking families, our communities, and critical programs like Head Start, Social Security, and Medicare--which can and should be paid for by ensuring the wealthy and giant corporations pay their fair share in taxes.

You can find more information on the government funding packages passed by Congress and what they mean for MO-05 here and here.