WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., a member of the Senate Budget Committee, voted to pass a bill, H.R. 83, to fund the federal government for the remainder of the fiscal year. The Department of Homeland Security will be funded only until February 27, 2015. The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 56-40.

“Responsible governing requires responsible decision-making,” Wicker said. “I am satisfied that the spending measure passed by Congress will fund government operations for the rest of FY2015 in a manner that holds the Administration more accountable to taxpayers and makes smart choices about the use of federal dollars.

“This bill adheres to the spending caps outlined by the Ryan-Murray budget agreement passed by Congress last year. It also ensures that our armed forces have the resources they need to carry out their missions, including the fight to defeat ISIS in the Middle East. I am glad there was bipartisan support to roll back several of the Administration’s extreme regulatory initiatives, such as new rules to regulate farm ponds and irrigation ditches under the Clean Water Act.

“I am confident that next year, under Republican leadership, Congress will return to regular order when conducting the business of the people, including the annual appropriations process.”

The bill now awaits President Obama’s signature to be enacted into law.

A number of provisions in the spending bill will benefit Mississippi communities. These include:

• Funding for a new amphibious ship that will bolster our state’s vibrant shipbuilding industry;
   
• The continuation of competitive grant programs, expansion of source water protection programs, and support for rural communities to help maintain and operate local sources of safe and clean water;
   
• A greater share of funds allocated to dredge local harbors and navigation channels from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund;
  
  
• Funding for the audit, oversight, and administration of the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund, established to assist recovery efforts along the Gulf Coast in the wake of the BP oil spill;
  
  
• Additional funds for Alzheimer’s research, a major initiative of  the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s MIND Center;
  
  
• An exemption from new, lower truck weight limits on U.S. Highway 78 in North Mississippi, a technicality that would have created an economic loss for our agriculture and forestry industries if revoked; and
  
  
• Support for community health centers, which play a vital role in providing health care to our state’s medically underserved populations.