Senate unveils 3 spending bills; House GOP suffers setback

By Marc Heller, Emma Dumain, Manuel Quiñones | 07/11/2024 01:48 PM EDT

Appropriators in both chambers Thursday also addressed plans for disaster legislation.

Sen. Patty Murray speaks during a press conference.

Senate Appropriations Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.) at the Capitol this week. Francis Chung/POLITICO

Senate appropriators Thursday unanimously approved a $27 billion annual agriculture spending bill, providing a contrast to cuts their House counterparts advanced a day earlier.

The Senate Appropriations Committee also released its fiscal 2025 Legislative Branch and Military Construction-Veterans Affairs legislation.

The Agriculture-Rural Development bill funds the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration, with senators proposing an $821 million increase in discretionary spending compared to fiscal 2024.

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Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), chair of the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, called the measure a “truly bipartisan bill” and cited a proposed $68 million increase in conservation, among other provisions.

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