Yesterday, the House approved a $1 trillion continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government funded through December 11, 2014. The 21-page CR would fund the government at an annual rate of $1.012 trillion. The 319-108 vote sends the bill to the Senate, which is also expected to approve the measure. The Senate will start considering the House-passed CR this afternoon and there could be more than four hours of debate before final passage in the Senate.
The measure was approved in the House after lawmakers first voted to add language authorizing a program to train and equip moderate Syrian rebel groups to fight the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The measure also includes additional funding to fight the Ebola epidemic, to assist the Department of Veterans Affairs, and to beef up support for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which helps low-income people obtain nutritious food. Finally, the bill extends the charter for the Export-Import Bank, which backs US exports, through June 30, 2015. No new funding for border-related issues is included in the bill.
The legislation fulfills the guidelines of the budget agreement reached by budget committee chairmen Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) last December, and comes after both chambers failed to pass all 12 individual appropriations measures. The House had passed seven FY 2015 appropriations bills under an open amendment process, while the Senate did not pass any.
With action taken on the CR, Congress will adjourn until after the November elections, returning to work on November 12th. At that time, they will begin negotiating a final FY 2015 omnibus measure before the new December 11th deadline.