Westerman Statement on Passage of Minibus Bill

WASHINGTON – Congressman Bruce Westerman (AR-04) issued the following statement Friday (June 8) upon passage of H.R. 5895, the Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act:

"Since well before I took office, Congress has been in the habit of passing temporary spending bills and massive omnibuses to fund our government," Westerman said. "The lack of a formal appropriations process has left our federal agencies with a lack of Congressional oversight and fiscal priorities. If we are to get our government's finances in order and balance the budget, we must return to regular order and pass each appropriations bill. In 2017, the House passed all 12 appropriations bills but saw no action in the Senate. It is my hope that the Senate will take up these bills as the House works to send further consolidated appropriations bills like H.R. 5895, which funds military construction, the VA, our waterway systems and much more. Regular order is the first step out of our government's fiscal mess."