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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) late Friday night voted for Senate passage of the Further Continuing and Security Assistance Appropriations Act, 2017 (HR.2028), which will fund national security and federal operations through April 28, 2017:

The continuing resolution passed the Senate by a 63 to 36 vote, and will become law when signed by the President.  Passage of the legislation averted a potential partial government shutdown at midnight.

“This continuing resolution is not a substitute for full-year appropriations, but it is necessary to sustain the operations of the federal government until we can complete consideration of the remaining FY2017 appropriations bills,” Cochran said.

“Until then, I am pleased the Senate is sending the President a continuing resolution that provides our Armed Forces with additional funding to continue counterterrorism operations and commits new funding to help states recover from disasters,” he said.

Under Cochran’s leadership, the Senate Appropriations Committee completed work on all 12 appropriations bills in each session of the 114th Congress.  Over the two-year course of this Congress, the committee conducted 156 hearings, began reporting bills early in the year, and gained Senate approval of individual appropriations bills for the first time in years.

Of the dozen FY2017 bills, four were passed by the Senate this year and one has been signed into law—the FY2017 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill.

The new 115th Congress is scheduled to convene on Jan. 3, 2017.

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