Legislative Activity House Likely to Move CR Soon, But Complications Remain With only eight legislative days scheduled in the House before government funding runs out on September 30, Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) is under a short timeline to push a Continuing Resolution (CR) through the House. Speaker Boehner could bring a CR to the floor … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Appropriations Process All But Over, CR Likely The appropriations process is almost certainly over and when Congress returns from the August recess there will be just ten legislative days before federal funding runs out, hardly enough time to negotiate a budget deal or an omnibus spending bill. As anticipated, Congress will likely pass … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Congress Shuffles Closer to a Budget Deal, as Appropriations Process Stops The appropriations process is all but over, after a Confederate flag flap during floor debate of the House Interior-Environment bill brought the process to a standstill. While the appropriations committees in both the House and Senate may mark-up their final appropriations bills … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Passes DHS Spending Bill, Ending Weeks-Long Impasse and Avoiding Shut-Down On Tuesday, the House passed the Senate’s “clean” version of the FY 2015 spending bill for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ending weeks of debate and preventing a repeat of last week’s 11th hour agreement avoiding shut-down of the agency. The $40 … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Congress Avoids DHS Shut-Down, Passes Short-Term Funding Measure Funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will again be the top priority on the congressional agenda this week after both a “clean” full-year continuing resolution (CR) and a three-week CR failed to advance in the House, forcing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Congress Narrowly Averts DHS Shut-Down, Passes Stop-Gap Measure Late Friday night, Congress passed a stopgap measure extending funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) one week, clearing the bill for the President’s signature less than two hours before the previous Continuing Resolution (CR) was set to expire. The 11th hour agreement came … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity DHS Funding Deadline Nears Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding expires on Friday, February 27, leaving only days for Congress to act to fund DHS. The Senate has not been able to overcome a Democratic filibuster of the House DHS funding legislation (H.R. 240), which includes policy riders blocking the President’s executive actions … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity DHS Funding Deadline Days Away With days before U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding expires on February 27, Congress appears no closer to resolving the partisan impasse. The Senate has set aside time Monday to vote on the House version of the spending bill (H.R. 240), but it remains to be seen … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Congress Set to Extend FY 2014 DHS Budget in Continuing Resolution On September 9, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY) introduced a draft continuing resolution (CR, H.J. Res. 124) to fund the federal government at the FY 2014 spending levels through December 11, 2014. Chairman Rogers announced, “Virtually all existing policy and … Continue Reading
Legislative Branch Activity Budget Lawmakers have until this Wednesday, January 15, to pass a spending bill and to avert another government shut down. Last Friday, January 10, House Appropriations Chair Harold Rogers (R-KY) filed a “clean” three-day continuing resolution to keep the federal government open through January 18. If passed by Congress by Wednesday, Congress … Continue Reading
Legislative Branch Activity Budget Lawmakers are facing an extremely abbreviated timeline to move a $1.012 trillion appropriations measure for FY 2014 that would cover government operations through September 30. Both chambers have slightly more than a week to pass the likely omnibus measure – or a continuing resolution – before the current stopgap spending measure … Continue Reading
The Senate will convene today, Monday, September 30, at 2:00 pm. After any leader remarks, the Senate will be in a period of morning business until 5:00 pm, with senators being permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each. Senators will be notified when any votes are scheduled. Today, the House will convene at … Continue Reading
Legislative Branch Activity Defense Budget Last week, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel sent a letter to the Senate Armed Services Committee in which he “strongly” opposed the $52 billion sequester cuts to the Defense Department’s FY 2014 Budget. He particularly cited risks to U.S. military readiness and technological superiority. Secretary Hagel noted the adverse effects … Continue Reading
