Thompson Votes for Bipartisan Budget Increases Funding for Medical Research, Maintains Funding for Background Checks, Blocks Funds for a Border Wall


Press Release

Posted:

Washington – Today, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05) voted for a bipartisan omnibus bill to avert a disastrous government shutdown. The compromise includes robust funding to treat and prevent devastating illnesses, maintain our background check system for gun purchases, combat the opioid epidemic, and more. It also blocked American tax dollars from being used for a border wall and prevented the defunding of Planned Parenthood.

“While this may not be a perfect budget, it is a fair compromise that protects the programs hardworking people rely on,” said Thompson. “Despite the President’s threats to cut the National Institutes of Health (NIH), we were able to secure the additional funding needed to find new treatments for cancer, ALS, and other devastating illnesses. It also preserves funding for our background check system so we can continue to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the dangerously mentally ill. We won major victories for the millions of Americans who rely on Planned Parenthood for their healthcare, and prevented what could have been a costly and chaotic government shutdown.”

The omnibus includes:

  • A $2 billion increase in funding for medical research at the NIH, including Vice President Biden’s cancer moonshot
  • An additional $600 million to combat the opioid epidemic
  • $73 million for the National instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) to keep guns out of the hands of felons, domestic abusers, and others who should not have them
  • $1.1 billion for disaster assistance for regions affected by storms and flooding
  • $3 billion for border security—which cannot be used for the construction of a border wall or the hiring of additional Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents

Additionally, the bill stops Planned Parenthood from being defunded and prevents funds from being denied to so-called “sanctuary cities.”