U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, released a statement on Aug. 2 regarding the Continuing Resolution (CR) designed to fund the federal government.
Collins said, “As Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I worked with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to craft this stopgap funding measure, known as a Continuing Resolution (CR). This CR is straightforward. It continues current government funding levels until December 11th and includes necessary adjustments for programs like the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), vital national security programs, including shipbuilding across multiple vessels, and the Disaster Relief Fund. The CR also avoids any poison pills.”
She continued by addressing concerns about proposed regulatory changes: “I am also pleased that this bipartisan agreement prevents the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)’s proposed rule regarding federal financial assistance from taking effect. I advocated for significant changes to the proposed rule in a July 6 letter to the agency, citing its potential to politicize grants and harm small, rural communities, families, and biomedical research.”
Collins said that passing this measure allows Congress additional time for work on appropriations bills. “This measure gives Congress the time we need to continue our work on bipartisan appropriations bills, which are always my strong preference for handling annual government funding. I am grateful for the work of my colleagues; this CR is a major step toward averting a damaging shutdown that only harms vital programs and federal workers. I look forward to our continued work on appropriations legislation and to bringing them to the Senate floor as soon as possible.”
The Senate Appropriations Committee oversees federal expenditures as mandated by law and manages legislation related to federal funding while conducting hearings on spending proposals; it draws its authority from constitutional requirements that funds be drawn from the treasury only through laws made by Congress. It has historically influenced issues such as trade or international affairs through budget oversight; early chairmen included Lot Morrill of Maine; notable products include appropriations bills like those for Homeland Security—all according to the official website.