WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement after Senate approval of a six-bill appropriations package for Fiscal year 2024. The package includes federal appropriations for Agriculture, Commerce-Justice-Science, Energy & Water, Interior-Environment, Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, and Transportation-Housing & Urban Development.

“The current fiscal year, FY2024, began 158 days ago. Once again, we have done the right thing to avoid a government shutdown, but we took the long road to get to this point. That said, Marylanders should be pleased with this first package of six spending bills, all of which fund critical federal programs for our state and the nation. In addition to important federal investments in transportation, housing, health care, agriculture, climate, public safety and more, we include more than $202 million in congressionally directed spending on locally driven projects that will help our communities in places where they need it most. Federal investments spur growth and create opportunities. “Our work on the current fiscal year is not yet finished. We have another six bills to complete in order to fully fund the federal government, and we have no time to wait. We must find a bipartisan path forward to finally finish the job we started.”