Building upon the bipartisan budgetary groundwork set by Congress in mid-December, the U.S. House of Representatives today passed comprehensive legislation (H.R. 3547) to fund the entire federal government for the fiscal year. Congressman Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, praised the bipartisan funding measure, which passed the House by a vote of 359 to 67 and now awaits consideration in the U.S. Senate.

“To address our challenges, we need thoughtful, bipartisan solutions. While not perfect, this agreement goes a long way to break the dysfunction that has paralyzed our nation’s capital,” said Upton. “This bill provides the necessary funding to keep our federal government operational while building upon the successful work of recent years to reach a balanced budget and reduce our national debt for future generations. This bill also looks after our nation’s most vulnerable by restoring critical funding for national priorities like Head Start and life-saving research at the National Institutes of Health.”

H.R. 3547 provides for a total of $1.012 trillion for 2014 government operations, abiding by the $520.5 billion defense and $491.7 billion non-defense budget caps set in December 2013 by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 (also known as the “Ryan-Murray Agreement”). H.R. 3547 cuts federal spending for the fourth year in a row – the first time since the Korean War – bringing total 2014 spending some $21.4 billion below last year’s post-sequester spending levels.

While reducing overall spending, the bill replaces many of the budget sequester’s arbitrary, across-the-board cuts and prioritizes funding for programs that serve the nation’s most vulnerable, including: biomedical research, special education, substance abuse services, and veterans affairs.

For summaries of the 12 appropriations bills within H.R. 3547, including program funding levels, click here.