The US Constitution provides that “No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law” (Article I, Section 9, Clause 7). Congress maintains the power of the purse, and federal government agencies and programs reliant on discretionary budget authority experience funding gaps if appropriations expire prior to the enactment … Continue Reading
With Labor Day behind us, Congress returns to Washington with a packed agenda. One month now stands between lawmakers and the end of the government’s fiscal year. And Congress has only four months to tackle various end-of-year deadlines. From domestic policy discussions to international relations, we look back at the first eight months of 2023 … Continue Reading
On August 9th, 2023 at 2:00 pm EDT, Beth Goldstein and Jeff Turner will be leading a discussion on the debt limit. The debt limit (or debt ceiling) is the total amount of outstanding debt that the US Department of the Treasury can incur. Earlier this year, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen notified Congress that the … Continue Reading
Bipartisan talks in Washington continue with the aim of producing a significant COVID-19 response and economic “stimulus” measure that can be signed into law by President Donald Trump this summer. Republicans and Democrats remain far apart in the negotiations, according to sources on both sides of the talks. But discussions continue as pressure mounts on … Continue Reading
What happened: Last week the Senate passed a landmark piece of legislation – the Great American Outdoors Act. Under the legislation, the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) would be permanently and fully funded at $900 million annually rather than funding levels being determined by the congressional appropriations process each year. What is next: The … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Markups on Appropriations Bills Begin in the House this Week with FY2018 MilCon-VA Bill; House Republican Members Push for an Omnibus Before August Recess Appropriations subcommittees in the House will commence FY 2018 spending bill markups this week, with the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs (MilCon-VA) subcommittee markup scheduled for this evening. Still … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Congress Begins Evaluating FY 2018 Transportation Appropriations This week, the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies will hold hearings on FY 2018 appropriations for the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao will testify on Tuesday at the Senate Subcommittee hearing and on … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity With a Passing Glance at the President’s Request, Congress Continues Work on FY 2018 Appropriations President Trump’s FY 2018 budget request, which was released on May 23, was received in Congress with reservation by Democrats and Republicans alike. The $4.09 trillion federal budget request, entitled “A New Foundation for American Greatness,” proposes cutting … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity President Trump’s FY 2018 budget This week brings the long-anticipated full details of President Trump’s FY 2018 budget, which is expected to be released on Tuesday. The Administration’s “skinny budget” released in March indicated the potential for large cuts to several agencies amounting to a $54 billion reduction in domestic spending. The budget … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity President’s Budget Expected this Week President Trump is expected to release his FY 2018 budget this week, and transportation stakeholders are eager to see whether the full budget includes cuts to transportation programs with bipartisan Congressional support that were included in the President’s “Skinny Budget” released in March. In particular, the Skinny Budget … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Appropriators Turn Attention to FY 2018 Process Without the Guidance of a Budget Resolution Now that the FY 2017 budget is finalized, appropriators are ready to focus on the FY 2018 process, even though the budget committees have yet to produce a budget resolution to provide topline spending levels for the upcoming fiscal … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity On Sunday night, an agreement for a fiscal year 2017 Omnibus bill had been reached. Although the text was not available at the time of posting, it is expected to be released in short order. Last week, as anticipated, a Continuing Resolution (CR) was enacted to allow for additional time to iron out … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Government Shutdown Looms as Current CR Expires Friday; White House Expresses Interest in Bipartisan Negotiations Congress faces a short time frame to pass a spending package for the remainder of the current fiscal year and prevent a government shutdown as the current FY 2017 Continuing Resolution (CR/P.L. 114-254) expires Friday at midnight. House … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Budget Reconciliation and FY 17 Appropriations The House FY 17 budget reconciliation measure- the American Health Care Act, aimed at “repeal and replace” of the Affordable Care Act- did not receive a floor vote last week, and its future is now uncertain. Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) said the House Republican party “will need … Continue Reading
Executive Branch Activity Trump Releases FY 2018 Budget Blueprint Last week, President Donald Trump released his FY 2018 “skinny budget,” intended to serve as the blueprint for his full budget request expected in May. As anticipated, the $1.1 trillion budget request adheres to the topline discretionary spending cap of $1.1 trillion mandated by the Budget … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity President Releases “Skinny Budget” On March 16, the Administration released the President’s “Skinny Budget.” As is typical with a budget outline provided by a new President, the request is very high level and does not include nearly the detail of a full budget proposal. The Administration has said it will release its full … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity FY 2017: House Passes Defense Appropriations Bill, What About the Rest? The House passed its $577.9 billion FY 2017 defense appropriations bill (H.R. 1301) last week by a vote of 371-48 which included a $6.8 billion increase in procurement funding above the Obama Administration’s budget request for the fiscal year. The chamber still … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Transportation Stakeholders Hopeful for More Information This Week As the Trump Administration and Congress continue to develop a large-scale infrastructure proposal, transportation stakeholders are hopeful they will get additional information this week. The President’s ‘Skinny Budget” is expected to be released on Thursday, March 16. While it is unclear how much detail will … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity FY 2017 Defense Appropriations Bill The House is expected to vote on its FY 2017 defense spending bill this week. The legislation, released by appropriators on Thursday, totals $577.9 billion, which is $5.2 billion higher than the FY 2016 level, and in line with the parameters contained in last year’s National Defense Authorization … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Secretary Chao Discusses Infrastructure Priorities as Administration Begins to Release More Details As the Trump Administration and Congress continue to develop a large-scale infrastructure proposal, the Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary, Elaine Chao, discussed the Administration’s priorities. Speaking to the National Governors Association last week, Secretary Chao acknowledged challenges in passing the $1 … Continue Reading
Executive Branch Activity Trump’s FY 2018 “Skinny Budget” Expected Mid-March The Trump Administration is reporting it will release its FY 2018 budget proposal by mid-March, according to White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer. The proposal is expected to be a “skinny budget” and provide an outline of the President’s fiscal goals, while a more comprehensive … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity President Trump’s FY 2018 Budget Proposal The Trump Administration intends to release a FY 2018 budget proposal within the “next several weeks” according to President Trump’s Press Secretary, Sean Spicer. It is likely that this submission will be an outline (“skinny budget”) which will lay the groundwork for a more complete budget plan … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity OMB Director-Nominee Rep. Mulvaney’s Confirmation Vote Moves to the Full Senate Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-SC) is one step closer to being confirmed as President Donald Trump’s Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) after being confirmed in a party-line vote by the Senate Committee on the Budget (12-11) and the Senate … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Last week, the Republican Conference held its annual retreat in Philadelphia. Although members left the meeting without a clear path forward on numerous items, it was clear that they intend to have a busy legislative schedule over the next year. With regard to fiscal issues, Republicans remain committed to passing two budget reconciliation … Continue Reading
