Oklahoma U.S. Senators Jim Inhofe and James Lankford were among those who voted to pass a $37.5 billion energy and water bill on Thursday in the Senate.
The overwhelming approval came after an impasse was resolved over a Republican amendment that Democrats contended would wrongly weaken the administration’s nuclear deal with Iran.
The energy and water funding becomes the first 2017 appropriations measure approve this year.
“The energy security and water infrastructure bill is important for our country,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) after the vote. “We know it will support public safety, waterways, infrastructure, energy innovation and our nuclear deference posture.”
The bill increases funding $355 million over the 2016 levels and included a $1.163 billion increase for the Department of Energy’s defense-related programs. Thee is also an $808 million decrease for the nondefense portions of the bill including other DOE programs and the Army Corps of Engineers.
Still, the White House has threatened to veto the measure, contending it does not include enough research funding for advanced energy projects or renewable energy sources.
