Rep. Flores Issues Statement on Passage of Bipartisan Budget Act

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 -- Rep. Bill Flores, R-Texas, issued the following statement on the passage of the Bipartisan Budget Act:

"Passage of the Bipartisan Budget Act (BBA) moves our government forward as we continue to work to make our nation safe and provide better economic opportunities for hardworking American families.

"This bill breaks the current defense funding stalemate by increasing our defense funding to the levels our military leaders have indicated they need to combat emerging global threats. This will provide piece of mind for Texas families by ensuring our national security is our foremost constitutional priority.

"It provides disaster relief funds for our Texas communities that were ravaged by Hurricane Harvey so they can rebuild. Additionally, the BBA takes crucial steps to help our children, veterans and low-income communities continue to get the health care they need.

"This bill also provides $6 billion to combat mental health issues and the devastating opioid crisis, extends funding for community health centers for two years and provides an additional four years of funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which will provide 10 years of total funding.

"This two-year budget agreement puts Congress on a path to stop the cycle of short-term government funding bills. All of the new non-security domestic spending is directed toward the priorities the American people voted for in November 2016.

"The BBA also includes much-needed mechanisms to reform the federal government's broken budget system so that we can fix the long-term drivers of the nation's deficits, and ultimately, put the budget on a path to balance.

"With increased military funding and a two-year budget blueprint, I look forward to working on issues to continue growing our economy - border security and immigration reform, infrastructure and workforce development."