Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016
Key claim: This law funded the U.S. government through the end of fiscal year 2016 and also lifted the ban on exporting American crude oil, created a voluntary system for companies to share cyber-threat information with the government, tightened who can enter without a visa, extended many expired tax breaks, and renewed health coverage for 9/11 first responders.
Abstract
(HR2029 · 114th Congress) Highlights: The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 provides FY2016 appropriations; extends expiring tax provisions; and affects policies in areas including oil exports, intelligence, cybersecurity, health care, financial services, visa waivers, and conservation. The bill provides appropriations for the federal government through the end of FY2016. The twelve regular appropriations bills included in the divisions of the bill increase discretionary spending above FY2015 levels, which reflects the increased discretionary spending limits included in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015. The bill also includes Overseas Contingency Operations and emergency funding which is not subject to discretionary spending limits. The bill includes authorizing provisions that: reauthorize intelligence programs; create a voluntary cybersecurity information sharing process and modify federal network information security procedures; end the ban on U.S. crude oil exports; modify procedures for the Visa Waiver Program; reauthorize health and compensation programs for 9/11 first responders; extend or make permanent expiring tax provisions; adjust Medicare payment rates for hospitals in Puerto Rico; suspend several tax provisions included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA); modify financial services laws related to issues including the sale of the Department of the Treasury’s preferred stock in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the confidentiality of information shared with regulators, and affiliate transactions; reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund; authorize direct loans to Iraq; and authorize grants to better understand and utilize the oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes. The bill exempts specified provisions that affect revenues or direct spending from the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 (PAYGO), the Senate PAYGO rule, and discretionary spending limits. Full Summary: Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (Sec. 3) Provides that references to "this Act&quo Latest action (2015-12-18): Became Public Law No: 114-113.
Why this matters
The 2016 omnibus is the vehicle that ended the long-standing U.S. crude oil export ban, reshaping export flows for U.S. producers and global crude pricing dynamics. For the Trade area, it is a reference point for how major export-control reversals have historically been attached to appropriations rather than standalone trade legislation. It also bundles tax, visa, and cyber-sharing provisions that touch adjacent policy areas tracked in this vault.