Press Releases

Today, Representative Mike Lawler issued the following statement after voting in favor of the second bipartisan appropriations package, which passed the House by a margin of 286 to 134.

"Today, the House completed its work on the 2024 appropriations process," said Congressman Lawler. "I was proud to vote in favor of this budget, which included an increase in funding for Head Start - something I have fought for since the start of this Congress. It also increases funding for national defense, cancer research, military pay, and border security - all while holding true to our deficit reductions negotiated in the Fiscal Responsibility Act - the largest deficit reduction in our nation's history."

"Our funding package also included record funding for NY-17 priorities,  including $2.1 million to mitigate flooding for Jeffrey Court in Clarkstown," Congressman Lawler concluded. "The nearly $36 million secured overall in community project funding for our district between the two appropriations packages is four times larger than what had been secured for our district in the last Congress. Simply put, this is a budget that works for Hudson Valley families."

Notable provisions of the Second FY2024 "Minibus" Package:

• $2.1 million for Jeffrey Court flood mitigation project.
• $1.75 million for the Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism.
• Reaffirms U.S. support to our ally Israel by fully funding our annual security commitment of $3.3 billion.
• Funding for 22,000 Border Patrol agents, consistent with the authorization in H.R. 2 and in-line with the funds provided in the House-passed Homeland Security appropriations bill.
• Fully funds the U.S. military with a particular focus on countering China, increasing counternarcotic operations, and investing in quality-of-life improvements for servicemembers and their families.
• A $27 billion increase over the FY23 enacted level for defense, directing that funding to critical national defense efforts, including countering the PRC, increasing counternarcotics efforts, and investing in quality-of-life initiatives for servicemembers and their families.
• The largest increase (5.2%) in basic military pay in over 20 years.
• $120 million increase in funding for cancer research at the NIH.
• $100 million increase for Alzheimer’s and Alzheimer’s disease-related dementias research.
• $12.3 billion for Head Start, an increase from FY23.
• Increases Title I funding by $20 million.
• Takes back $10 billion from the Administration, including funds directed toward President Biden’s hiring of 85,000 IRS agents.
• Claws back $4.3 billion in unnecessary COVID-19 funding.
• Maintains the spending reductions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act - the largest deficit reduction in American history.

New York's 17th Congressional District is just north of New York City and contains all or parts of Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, and Westchester Counties.