Year: 2014

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.

The House is expected to vote on Wednesday or Thursday on the FY 2015 Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep federal government funded through December 11^th. The Senate hopes to follow that with a vote by the end of the week. This will allow members to vacate the Capitol until after the November elections. But first the House has to pass the measure, which is not without controversy. The measure will likely include an amendment that would authorize the Obama administration to train and arm Syrian rebels against the insurgent terrorist organization known as ISIS, though some lawmakers would like to give the President broader authority to use force. Disagreements also linger on the length of the CR as well as an extension of the Export-Import Bank’s charter.

A defeat on the measure would force the leaders to scramble to find another way to move a CR to avoid a shutdown when the new fiscal year begins October 1st.