Deluzio Keeps Government Open and Passes Schools, Safety, and Security Funding Bill

March 22, 2024

Bipartisan legislation helps families with the high cost of living, sides with the hard-working middle class, supports education and job training and placement programs, protects women’s rights, reinforces America’s global leadership, and keeps communities safe and secure

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA-17) voted to pass a package of six funding bills that will help Americans deal with high prices, side with the hard-working middle class, protect women’s rights, reinforce America’s global leadership, and help our communities be safe and secure.

The bill includes a requirement for an update on the detention status of Marc Fogel, a Western Pennsylvanian from Congressman Deluzio’s district who has been imprisoned in Russia since August 2021. The measure also allocates a $100 million increase in funding for the Social Security Administration to more effectively deliver the promise of Social Security to American seniors and people with disabilities.

“I voted to keep the government open today and pass a funding package that takes on some of our nation’s biggest challenges and invests in critical government services that support the people of Western Pennsylvania—including increased funding to fulfill the promise of Social Security,” said Congressman Deluzio. “I am also glad that this measure includes report language that requires more details on why my constituent, Marc Fogel, has not been designated as ‘wrongfully detained' by the State Department, something I’ve been fighting for since I was sworn in last year.”

Congressman Deluzio continued, “While these funding bills are not perfect, by passing them today Congress is doing a lot of good for everyday people in Western PA and across this great nation. We are reducing drug costs and making child care easier to find and afford. These bills help keep workers safe and ensure they are paid what they are owed. We are avoiding a disruptive government shutdown and making strategic investments to help communities be safe and secure.”

Democrats rejected extreme Republican cuts and policies. Instead, this government funding package includes:

$1 billion increase for child care and Head Start.
$120 million increase in funding for cancer research at the National Institutes of Health.
$100 million increase for Alzheimer’s and Alzheimer’s disease-related dementias research.
Rejecting Republican cuts, including saving 224,000 teachers’ jobs House Republicans tried to eliminate and protecting Job Corps and more than 20 K-12 and higher education programs.
Blocking 10 Republican riders to limit women’s reproductive health.
12,000 more Special Immigrant Visas for Afghans who assisted the United States.
$1 billion increase in climate change and resilience activities at the Department of Defense.

This package includes the following funding bills: Defense; Financial Services and General Government; Homeland Security; Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies; Legislative Branch; and State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs. A detailed summary of the legislation is available from the House Committee on Appropriations (Democrats) here.

A package containing six other appropriations bills for fiscal year 2024 passed the House earlier this month and was signed into law by President Biden on March 9. This measure included more than $15.5 million in funding that Congressman Deluzio secured for 15 projects that will improve safety and quality of life across Pennsylvania’s 17th Congressional District.

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