(WASHINGTON) – Today, Congresswoman Nikema Williams (GA-05) voted to pass the Schools, Safety, and Security Package, legislation to prevent a government shutdown. This legislation is the second, six-bill funding package. 

Congresswoman Nikema Williams (GA-05) said: 

“For what is hopefully the last time, I joined House Democrats to prevent a Republican-created government shutdown. Democrats stood united to put people over politics and secured an additional $1 billion for child care and Head Start, lowered drug costs, protected access to reproductive health care, made our communities safer, and stopped passage of the worst Republican proposals. Let’s be clear—Democrats were ready in May to get to work and pass comprehensive funding legislation. Instead, Republicans only wanted to waste time playing political games attempting to pass their extreme agenda. I will continue to push back against Republican extremism and create a country where everyone can thrive—no matter your ZIP Code, no matter your bank account.” 

Some of the strongest investments and victories for the American people included in this package include:

• $1 billion increase for child care and Head Start.
• $120 million increase in funding for cancer research at the National Institutes of Health.
• $100 million increase for Alzheimer’s and dementia research.
• Rejecting Republican cuts, including saving 224,000 teachers’ jobs that House Republicans tried to eliminate. 
• Protecting Job Corps and more than 20 K-12 and higher education programs.
• Blocking 10 Republican riders to limit women’s reproductive freedom.
• 12,000 more Special Immigrant Visas for Afghans that assisted the United States.
• $1 billion increase in climate change and resilience activities at the Department of Defense.

​​​The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024, funds the six bills at levels consistent with the bipartisan budget agreement.

These 2024 funding bills invest in America’s future and deliver for the American people by:

• Helping with the impossibly high cost of living, reducing drug costs, helping with child care and Head Start.
• Siding with the hardworking majority of Americans by supporting education and job training and placement programs that help Americans find high paying jobs, safeguarding robust worker protection agencies that ensure Americans are safe and properly compensated at work, and ensuring billionaires and wealthy corporations pay the taxes they owe.
• Protecting women’s rights by blocking attempts to limit women’s access to reproductive health care including the elimination of Title X Family Planning and Teen Pregnancy Prevention Grants and supporting the reproductive health of women overseas.
• Reinforcing America’s global leadership by strengthening defense capabilities, ensuring America can respond anywhere in the world where freedom and democracy are under attack, amplifying American diplomacy, and reaffirming our global commitments to fight climate change and reinforce global health.
• Keeping our communities safe and secure by funding border security, preventing the trafficking of fentanyl and other dangerous drugs, bolstering cyber security, protecting consumers from scammers, fraudsters, and dangerous products, and enabling robust and immediate responses to natural disasters.

CONTACT: PressGA05@mail.house.gov 

Congresswoman Nikema Williams proudly serves Georgia’s Fifth Congressional District on the exclusive Financial Services Committee. She is a champion of voting rights and builds on the Fifth District’s legacy as the cradle of the civil rights movement as co-chair of the Congressional Voting Rights Caucus. Congresswoman Williams is committed to closing the racial wealth gap and ensuring the promise of America for all–regardless of your ZIP code or bank account.

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