Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) released the following statement today after the release of the omnibus spending bill for fiscal year 2023. Senator Coons is a member of the Appropriations Committee and Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations and Related Programs (SFOPS):
“Over the past year, our government has worked together in a bipartisan fashion to ensure we’re meeting the challenges Americans face. Members of both parties have come together to bring advanced manufacturing jobs back to the United States; we’ve made the largest investment in veterans’ health care in decades; we’ve made the postal service more responsive to Americans’ needs. This week, we’ll fund a government that delivers on those bipartisan priorities.
“I’m disappointed that major priorities were left out in today’s omnibus spending bill, but I’m glad to see several crucial inclusions in today’s text. The robust supplemental spending for Ukraine includes billions of dollars for humanitarian and economic aid that I worked to secure as SFOPS Chair. It sends a strong message that America will continue to strongly support our allies and work to uphold democracy and the rule of law around the world. The inclusion of our bipartisan Electoral Count Act reform will help make sure that the rule of law and democracy will endure here at home.
“I’d like to thank Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Ranking Member Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) for their work crafting this bill as a capstone to their careers, and I look forward to working with my Senate colleagues to swiftly pass it.”
The FY 23 Omnibus includes some $45 billion in emergency aid for Ukraine, including $14.5 billion for additional security, economic, and humanitarian assistance through SFOPS. As SFOPS Subcommittee Chair, Senator Coons has repeatedly called for increased and continued funding for Ukraine as it fights Russia’s invasion. In October, he led a bipartisan congressional delegation to Kyiv and met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to show American solidarity with the Ukrainian people.
The FY 23 Omnibus also includes the Electoral Count Reform Act of 2022. This bill would reform and clarify the Electoral Count Act and close the loopholes that former President Trump tried to exploit in the wake of the 2020 election. Chiefly, it ensures that Congress can identify a single, conclusive slate of electors from each state. It also raises the number of Members of Congress and Senators who must object to a slate of electors in order to deter frivolous claims. Senator Coons, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, was part of a bipartisan working group of 14 senators who helped negotiate this legislation. Additionally, the legislation includes the Presidential Transition Improvement Act, legislation offered by Senators Coons, Rob Portman (R-Ohio), and Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), which would promote the orderly transfer of power by providing clear guidelines for when eligible candidates for President and Vice President may receive federal resources to help with their transition into office.
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