Washington, D.C. – Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04), Vice Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee, released the following statement after President Donald Trump last night signed into law two full-year government funding packages for fiscal year 2020. The two packages include all 12 appropriations bills, which cover annual operations across the entirety of the federal government.

“One of the most fundamental duties of Congress is to fund the government and to keep it open and operational. By coming to bipartisan agreement on full-year appropriations, I am very proud that lawmakers in both chambers not only prevented a government shutdown, but they avoided the need for another short-term continuing resolution. I applaud President Trump for signing these critical packages into law, responsibly providing certainty for the federal government and the thousands of supporting federal workers.”  

Earlier this week, Cole made extensive remarks in support of the funding packages on the House floor. Video is available here

Cole also explained the importance of funding with full-year appropriations, instead of continuing resolutions, in a recent column here.