Congress Reaches Stopgap Deal to Avoid Gov't Shutdown

Congress took major strides this week toward avoiding a government shutdown at the end of September by sending its first “minibus” appropriations package to President Donald Trump’s desk and reaching an agreement to fund the rest of the government through December 7th.

The Senate and House both passed the $147 billion “minibus” containing fiscal year 2019 funding for energy & water programs, military construction & veterans affairs, and the legislative branch after differences were resolved between the initial versions of the bill in its conference report. The bill now awaits the president’s signature.

Meanwhile, lawmakers reached an agreement Wednesday on another, bigger conference report containing $862 billion in FY2019 funding for defense, education, health & human services, and labor programs ― which would make it five of the 12 appropriations bills enacted via minibus funding packages.

The second minibus conference report will also contain a “continuing resolution” to fund the rest of the federal government at current levels until December 7, 2018 to give lawmakers time to negotiate the final versions of the seven remaining appropriations bills. (Of the seven remaining bills, four have already passed both chambers in a third minibus and are being negotiated in conference committee).

Aside from appropriating the bulk of the federal government’s discretionary budget and extending funding for the rest, the second minibus will also serve as the legislative vehicle for reauthorizations of a variety of programs set to expire when the end of fiscal year 2018 arrives at midnight on September 30th.

One of the most notable is a reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act ― the landmark 1993 domestic violence law that was most recently renewed five years ago.

Tell your reps what you think of the deal to avoid a shutdown and what you want to see prioritized in the remaining funding bills.

— Eric Revell

(Photo Credit: iStock.com / kanarch)