SEIU’s Henry: Federal spending bill reflects many of our nation’s priorities but more work has to be done on road ahead

WASHINGTON, DC - Service Employee International President (SEIU) Mary Kay Henry issued the following statement after the Senate passed the final FY 2024 spending bill to avert a government shutdown:

“Despite months of utter dysfunction among Congressional Republicans, SEIU members are relieved that Democrats in Congress have led the charge in passing a federal funding bill that reflects many of our nation’s priorities.

Congressional Democrats truly stood with working families by holding the line against cruel measures attacking reproductive rights and the LGBTQ community, and successfully defending against drastic cuts to the National Labor Relations Board, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the DOL Office of Wage and Hour, and other vital programs.

Thanks to our childcare champions, this bill includes a $1 billion increase to critical child care and early learning programs, including an increase for the Child Care Development Block Grant and Head Start. This increase will help ensure that providers and educators can continue to organize to raise wages and standards to help retain and attract workers as well as support families seeking child care.

However, Congress still has a long road ahead to ensure our federal funding priorities reflect and respect the contributions that every community brings to our country. The misguided massive increase in immigration enforcement spending will neither improve border management nor address actual needs on the ground. We should be focusing on allocating resources to help cities and nonprofits address the needs of newcomers – not increasing detentions and family separation.

House Speaker Johnson and other Congressional Republicans have been committed to weaponizing the federal appropriations process to try to advance their extreme right-wing agenda. As working people continue to organize and demand an economy that works for all, we urge Congress to end the political shell games as it moves through the FY 2025 appropriations process. This November, we will continue to hold accountable all elected officials who fail to act responsibly and support working people and families.”