House of Representatives Passes Government Funding Legislation

The House of Representatives passed H.R. 2471, an omnibus spending bill consisting of all 12 fiscal year 2022 appropriations bills and supplemental funding to support Ukraine. H.R. 2471 provides $1.5 trillion in discretionary resources across the 12 fiscal year 2022 appropriations bills. In total, the regular 12 appropriations bills include $730 billion in non-defense funding, a $46 billion increase over fiscal year 2021. The 2022 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies funding bill invests over $550 million in the expansion of broadband service to provide economic development opportunities and improved education and healthcare services, including an additional $450 million for the ReConnect program. This is in addition to the $2 billion provided in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Since 2019, more than 200,000 rural residents have gained access to broadband through these programs. The 2022 Financial Services and General Government funding bill includes $382 million for the FCC, an increase of $8 million above the FY 2021 enacted level, to support efforts to expand broadband access, improve the security of US telecommunications networks, and administer billions in COVID relief programs.