Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) participated in an Oval Office ceremony Friday in-which President Donald Trump signed an appropriations minibus for Fiscal Year 2019 covering Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), education and related agencies.

The funding covered in the package, which was made possible by Shelby’s leadership as the powerful chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, comprises over half of the federal government’s total discretionary budget. The legislation also contained a vital continuing resolution through December 7 for any appropriations bills not enacted before October 1.

Amidst never-before-seen chaos in Washington, D.C., and specifically the United States Senate, Shelby is spearheading appropriations in a historic manner.

The enactment of the appropriations minibus marks the first time that the nation’s military has been funded on time through regular order in a decade and the first time that the Labor-HHS-Education bill has been enacted on time since 1996. In total, five appropriations bills were signed into law in September and 75 percent of the government was funded on schedule. This marks the most spending bills enacted on time since Fiscal Year 1997 – more than two decades ago.

“The signing of this legislation marks a drastic turnaround in the way we have funded the government in recent years. As of today, 75 percent of the government is funded – on time and through an open, bipartisan process,” Shelby said in a release. “This package continues a historic increase in funding for our nation’s defense, helping the President deliver on his commitment to rebuild the military and keep our Armed Forces the strongest and best trained, equipped, and prepared in the world.”

Enjoyed today’s signing ceremony at the White House to fund our nation’s #defense & keep the government open & running for the good of the American people. Thank you to my Senate & House colleagues as well as @POTUS for supporting efforts to restore this process. #Appropriations pic.twitter.com/TBUitO0c2g

— Richard Shelby (@SenShelby) September 28, 2018

“The critical funding impacting Alabama in this measure highlights our strong national defense capabilities and showcases our ability to lead the charge in medical breakthroughs and groundbreaking research. I am confident that this legislation will positively impact the lives of all Alabamians, and all Americans, and I hope we can continue down this path for the good of our nation,” Shelby continued.

Read more about the funding package here.

Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn