Senate leaders unveiled a two-year budget deal Wednesday, which would boost military and non-defense spending by $300 billion over the next two years, as well as more than $80 billion in disaster relief.
If passed, the bill would prevent a government shutdown that’s scheduled for Thursday at midnight if Congress isn’t able to pass a funding deal in time.
About $160 billion would go to the Pentagon and about $128 billion would to non-defense programs. The agreement also includes disaster aid to respond to recent natural disasters. Annually, the bill would raise defense spending by about $80 billion in fiscal year 2018, and about $85 billion in fiscal year 2019. It would also raise non-defense spending by $63 billion in fiscal year 2018, and $68 billion in fiscal year 2019.
The spending bill would modify the discretionary spending caps enforced by the Budget Control Act, or BCA, for fiscal years 2018 and 2019, which is reflected by the bullet list below.
Specific spending will be left to the appropriations committees.
Increased spending for nonmilitary priorities includes:
The debt ceiling will be raised by the appropriate amount until March 2019.
There will be $10 billion for fiscal year 2018 and $10 billion for fiscal year 2019 to invest in infrastructure, including programs for water, broadband, energy and transportation.
Another $2 billion for fiscal year 2018 and $2 billion for fiscal year 2018 will be allotted to help reduce the backlog in Veteran Affairs healthcare maintenance.
There will be $2 billion for fiscal year 2018 and $2 billion for fiscal year 2019 for high education programs programs helping students in college completion and affordability, as well as helping police officers, teachers and firefighters.
For child care, $2.9 billion for fiscal year 2018 and $2.9 billion for fiscal year 2019 — including the bipartisan Child Care Development Block Grant program
The National Institutes of Health will be funded $1 billion for fiscal year 2018 and $1 billion for fiscal year 2019 to support research.
There will be $3 billion allotted for fiscal year 2018 and $3 billion for fiscal year 2018 to combat the opioids and substance abuse epidemic, including state grants, public prevention programs, and law enforcement needs related to substance abuse and mental health programs.
Two year reauthorization for Community Health Centers with increased funding, with more than $7 billion in total funding
Closing the Medicare Part D “donut hole” for seniors in 2019
Ten years of the Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP), increased from six years
$495 million over two years for the National Health Service Corps
$363 million over two years for Teaching Health Centers
Health Extenders, including permanently repealing the therapy cap, delaying the Medicaid DSH cuts, and five years of funding for home visiting programs