Sessions Praises Passage of Omnibus, Tax Extenders Legislation; Bills Prioritize Issues of Importance to Sessions, Texas
WASHINGTON, DC – The House this week adopted a measure that will provide discretionary funding for the federal government through September 30, 2016, as well as a package to provide permanent tax relief for hard working American families.
In addition to funding the 12 annual Appropriations bills, the spending bill contains language to fund the Global War on Terror/Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO), as well as $73.7 billion to provide necessary resources and training for our troops to combat the ever increasing threat of radical Islamic terrorists and other enemy groups who threaten our homeland, U.S. Congressman Pete Sessions (R-TX), chairman of the House Rules Committee, said.
Sessions added that the bills prioritize other issues of importance to him such as bolstering our national security by reforming our Visa Waver program, as well as lifting the ban on U.S. crude oil exports and ways to continue the Republican effort to chip away at the most harmful aspects of Obamacare. Finally, it cuts funding for the Environmental Protection Agency to levels lower than fiscal year 2010 and holds it at staffing levels that are the lowest since 1989.
“The EPA exemplifies the worst of federal overreach under this administration,” Sessions said. “Excessive bureaucratic red tape does nothing to protect our environment. Instead, it only stifles American businesses and industries and slows economic growth. I am pleased that the spending bill included language to rein in these out-of-control, harmful actions, all while providing funding for drinking water and sewer construction projects through the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Resolving Funds at the local and state level, where it belongs.”
Sessions, who has been a longstanding proponent of job creation through bonus depreciation, also praised the provision in the tax package that provides a five year extension to bonus depreciation.
“I am pleased to see that policies necessary for our nation’s top job creators to expand their businesses and create new opportunities for American workers were included,” Sessions said. “This will allow American companies to more easily plan for the future and manage their finances. Further, by incentivizing the purchase of new equipment, this policy encourages domestic investment, which will in turn increase productivity, create new jobs and grow the economy.”
Sessions concluded, “While this bill is in no way perfect, it provides responsible funding for conservative principles, increases transparency and accountability at federal agencies and puts a stop to executive overreach that stunts our economic growth.”
For more on Omnibus Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2016, as well as the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015, click here.
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