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Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016

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Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2016
Great Seal of the United States
Long titleMaking appropriations for military construction, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2016, and for other purposes.
Announced inthe 114th United States Congress
Codification
Authorizations of appropriations$1.15 trillion[1]
Legislative history

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016 (H.R. 2029, Pub. L. 114–113 (text) (PDF)), also known as the 2016 omnibus spending bill, is the United States appropriations legislation passed during the 114th Congress which provides spending permission to a number of federal agencies for the fiscal year of 2016. The bill authorizes $1.1 trillion in spending, as well as $700 billion in tax breaks.[3] The bill provides funding to the federal government through September 30, 2016.[3]

History

The bill began as a $78 billion spending bill for Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies, one of the twelve subcommittees of the US Senate Committee on Appropriations. The bill first passed the US House of Representatives on April 30, 2015, by a vote of 255-163, largely along party lines.[2] President Obama threatened to veto the legislation as written,[2] in line with his earlier statements opposing spending bills not preventing the automatic spending cuts due to budget sequestration.[4] The bill remained in the US Senate for several months, deliberately stalled by Senate Democrats.[5][6][7] The Senate voted on the bill on November 10, 2015, passing it unanimously, 93-0.[8]

Facing a possible government shutdown on September 30, 2015 (the end of fiscal year 2015), Congress passed the Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2016 hours before the deadline, funding the government until December 11.[9] As the new December 11 deadline approached, congress actively negotiated a wider omnibus bill built on top of the original bill. Congress passed two additional temporary extensions, pushing the deadline back to December 16,[10] and then to December 22.[11]

The bill entered into law on December 18, 2015.[12] The bill ended up largely as a compromise between centrist Republicans and moderate Democrats; the scope of the bill's spending was heavily criticized by the conservative wing of the Republican Party.[13][14]

Provisions

The bill provides general spending for most of the US federal government. The bill included a larger than expected $19.3 billion in funding for NASA.[15]

Tax cuts included delaying implementation of taxes on premium heath care plans, as well as upcoming taxes on medical devices.[16]

Unrelated policy riders included ending a 40-year-old ban on US exports of crude oil.[17] The bill also included the provisions of the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act, information sharing cyber-security legislation.[18]

See also

References

  1. ^ Pat Toomey (21 Dec 2015). "Area Votes in Congress". philly.com. Retrieved 30 Dec 2015.
  2. ^ a b c Cristina Marcos (30 Apr 2015). "House approves first '16 spending bill". The Hill. Retrieved 3 Jan 2016.
  3. ^ a b Bill Chappell (18 Dec 2015). "Obama Signs $1.8 Trillion Tax And Spending Bill Into Law". NPR. Retrieved 3 Jan 2016.
  4. ^ Sam Stein (21 Mar 2015). "Obama Vows Not To Sign A Budget Bill That Doesn't Fix Sequestration". Huffinton Post. Retrieved 3 Jan 2016.
  5. ^ Rachael Bade and John Bresnahan (4 Jun 2015). "Reid to block spending bills". Politico. Retrieved 4 Jan 2016.
  6. ^ Jordain Carney (22 Sep 2015). "Senate Democrats block defense spending bill". The Hill. Retrieved 4 Jan 2016.
  7. ^ Andrew Taylor (1 Oct 2015). "Democrats block veterans funding bill as budget talks loom". Yahoo. Retrieved 4 Jan 2016.
  8. ^ Jordain Carney (10 Nov 2015). "Senate passes VA spending bill — just in time for Veterans day". The Hill. Retrieved 4 Jan 2016.
  9. ^ David M. Herszenhorn (30 Sep 2015). "Spending Bill Passes, Averting a Shutdown". New York Times. Retrieved 4 Jan 2016.
  10. ^ Erin Kelly (11 Dec 2015). "House passes five-day government funding bill, averting weekend shutdown". USA Today. Retrieved 4 Jan 2016.
  11. ^ Susan Ferrechio (16 Dec 2015). "House quickly passes short-term funding bill through Dec. 22". Washington Examiner. Retrieved 4 Jan 2016.
  12. ^ David M. Herszenhorn (18 Dec 2015). "Congress Passes $1.8 Trillion Spending Measure". New York Times. Retrieved 3 Jan 2016.
  13. ^ Ryan Ellis (23 Dec 2015). "The Omnibus Isn't Good Enough: Blame the Tea Party and the Freedom Caucus". Forbes. Retrieved 3 Jan 2016.
  14. ^ Jordain Carney (17 Dec 2015). "Cruz a 'hell no' on spending bill". The Hill. Retrieved 3 Jan 2016.
  15. ^ Loren Grush (16 Dec 2015). "Congress wants to give NASA $19.3 billion next year, even more than Obama asked for". The Verge. Retrieved 4 Jan 2016.
  16. ^ Gabrielle Levy (15 Dec 2015). "Deal on Spending Bill Offers Something for Everyone". US News & World Report. Retrieved 4 Jan 2016.
  17. ^ Billy House, Erik Wasson (18 Dec 2015). "Congress Passes U.S. Spending Bill to End Oil Export Ban". Bloomberg. Retrieved 3 Jan 2016.
  18. ^ Andy Greenber (16 Dec 2015). "Congress Slips CISA Into a Budget Bill That's Sure to Pass". Wired. Retrieved 4 Jan 2016.
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