The House and Senate appropriators negotiating on a four-bill spending package conceded yesterday that they will need to revisit the issue after the election. This means that the programs and agencies funded by those four bills– Interior, Agriculture, Transportation and Housing, and financial services– will need to remain on autopilot, assuming that the president signs the Defense/ Labor-HHS-Education package, which also contains a short-term continuing resolution, before Monday morning.
With the House scheduled to go into recess later today until after the November elections, the negotiators will need to resume their discussions after both chambers return to Washington.
With the new fiscal year scheduled to start on October 1, five of the 12 annual spending bills have been signed into law or are ready for the president’s signature.