Government affairs

Legislative Updates

Congress passes 2-week funding measure

With the unexpected passing of former President George H.W. Bush cancelling votes in the House this week, Congress scurried to advance a two-week spending measure (known as a continuing resolution or CR) to fund 25 percent of the federal government beyond December 7.

Currently, seven remaining appropriations bills including Agriculture, Commerce-Justice-Science, Financial Services and General Government, Homeland Security, Interior-Environment, and State-Foreign Operations as well as many other agencies are set to expire, prompting the two-week extension of funding until December 21.

With the measure passed and assuming it is signed into law, Congress will have until December 21 to finish its remaining business. That may prove tricky as negotiations include a potential fight over funding for border security as the Senate included $1.6 billion in its bill, compared with the House’s $5 billion. The President threatened to veto any legislation that does not provide what he and his Administration deem to be enough funding for border security, an act which would likely lead to a partial shutdown of the government. Despite his threats of vetoes in the past, it should be noted he has yet to follow through and veto any piece of legislation brought to his desk.

NALC will continue to monitor the progression of this stopgap measure as well as the progression of the remaining appropriations bills.

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