Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02), Chairman of the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, released the following statement regarding the final passage of the FY20 “minibus” government funding packages, H.R. 1865 and H.R. 1158, by the full U.S. House of Representatives in a vote of 297-120 and 280-138, respectively:
 
“The two minibuses we passed today comprise all 12 fiscal year 2020 funding bills and reflect the values we hold as Americans. We made historic investments in the lives of Americans from child care to Social Security and increased funding for the life-saving research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
 
“We increased funding for rural development and infrastructure, including reliable drinking water systems and rural broadband. Food and nutrition programs were fully funded to expected participation levels and international food assistance programs received more funding to increase food security at home and abroad. I am particularly pleased we directed USDA to provide an additional $400 million in Block Grant Disaster assistance for states impacted by natural disasters. This will provide much needed assistance to specialty crop producers in Middle and Southwest Georgia, who suffered tremendous losses after Hurricane Michael.
 
“The minibuses also provide solid funding to repair military family housing, support veterans, and defend the nation against current and future threats. Additionally, the 2020 Census is fully funded to ensure we have the most accurate count of everyone in our nation.
 
“This is a good bill that promotes good health, economic and financial security, national security, and safety at home for our citizens. I am overall very pleased with the final results of bipartisan and bicameral negotiations. I am hopeful the Senate and President will move quickly to make these minibuses into law before the end of the week.”