Last week, the House Appropriations subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor H) fiscal year 2020 draft funding bill, the largest non-defense appropriations bill for Congress, advanced to the full committee for consideration. The total for non-defense discretionary (NDD) spending is $189.8 billion, an increase of $11.7 billion over the 2019 enacted level and $47.8 billion over the President’s 2020 budget request. The $11.7 billion increase for Labor H is more than 34 percent of the total non-defense increased spending as proposed by the House. In past years, Labor H often received far less than its proportional share of the overall increase.
Full Appropriations Committee meetings are scheduled for May 8, where some more controversial issues will arise including the measures to address family planning, immigrant children, non-discrimination in foster care, and guns in schools to name a few. Other disputes happening on Capitol Hill includes funding for the border wall, disaster aid, and census funding.
