With Pelosi as Speaker, New House Seeks to Open Government

Posted on January 4, 2019

As expected, the 116th House of Representatives elected yesterday Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) as the new Speaker of the House. She returns to the past that she once held.

Also as expected, the Democratically-controlled House a package of measures that would reopen the government: the first combined six of the seven unsigned appropriations bills and would fund the agencies in those bills through the rest of the year, while the second measure would reopen the Department of Homeland Security, with no additional funding for the wall, through February 8. The new House leadership has emphasized that the language approved by the House is the exact same language that was approved by the Republican-controlled Senate before the holidays in order to avoid the partial shutdown before President Trump announced that he would not sign it.

While the House was working on the funding package, both the White House and the Senate Majority Leader reiterated their opposition to the House bill.

With the shutdown now in its 14th day, leaders from both houses and both sides of the aisle are scheduled to meet with the President once again later today.

Read more about the situation here, here, here, and here.

116th Congress Comes to Town

Posted on January 3, 2019

The transition from the 115th Congress to the 116th Congress takes place later today.

In the Senate, Republicans will remain in control, with a 53 to 47 advantage, and Mitch McConnell (R-KY) will continue to serve as the Majority Leader and Charles Schumer (D-NY) will retain the position of Minority Leader.

On the other side of the Capitol building, the Democrats will regain control. After initial questions about whether she had enough support, it appears that Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is poised to become the next Speaker of the House.

After the new Members are sworn in, a Speaker is elected, and the debate on a rules package starts, the House is expected to take up today a package of appropriations bills that would reopen the parts of the federal government currently closed. It would keep all parts of the government funded through the end of the fiscal year except those funded by the Homeland Security Appropriations bill, which would be extended on a shot-term basis through February 8, with no new money for a border wall. Currently, this plan is not supported by the Senate or the White House, which means that the partial shutdown will likely continue.

OSTP Director Confirmed

Posted on January 3, 2019

As a part of a larger package of nominations, the Senate confirmed last night Dr. Kelvin Droegemeier as the Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). OSTP is the office that is responsible for coordinating science and technology policy government-wide.

The nomination of Droegemeier, who is well-known in the science and research policy arena, was enthusiastically supported by the broader research community.

As White House and Hill Leaders Meet on Day 12 of Partial Shutdown, House Dems Unveil Plan to Reopen Government

Posted on January 2, 2019January 2, 2019

Congressional leaders from both chambers and both sides of the aisle are headed to the White House today for a briefing on border security. This is the first such bipartisan meeting to take place since the start of the partial shutdown on Saturday, December 22. At this point, it remains to be seen whether the meeting will turn into a negotiating session or it really will be a briefing on border security. Read more about the meeting and the situation today here and here.

Meanwhile, with the partial shutdown now well into its second week, it is having an impact on a number of agencies that support scientific research agencies funded by a number of the unsigned appropriations bills. Included on this list, for example, are the National Science Foundation (NSF) and NASA, both of which are funded through the Commerce-Justice-Science (CJS) bill. Both agencies have released information about grants, reviews and other procedures and processes.

The NSF has posted information about the shutdown for proposers and grantees here and for panelists and potential panelists here.

NASA released its shutdown plan a few days before the shutdown took effect, and it is available here.

In addition, in preparation for their assumption of control tomorrow, January 3, House Democrats have released a legislative package to reopen the federal government. It has two components. The first piece combines six of the seven unsigned appropriations bills, including the CJS measure, into a single vehicle and would fund the agencies in those measures through the rest of FY2019 at the levels approved by either the entire Senate or the Senate Appropriations Committee. The second part of the package seeks to extend funding for the Homeland Security Appropriations Bill on a short-term basis through February 8 with no new funding for a border wall, in an attempt to give the Democrats additional time to look at the agency.

Details about the legislative package are available here.

Even if the package were to pass the House, it has little chance of being passed by the Senate or signed into law.

Shutdown to Last Until First Part of 2019?

Posted on December 27, 2018

With no votes scheduled in either chamber of Congress for the rest of this week and the President more than once reiterating his push for a border wall, it seems unlikely that anything will occur on the shutdown front until the first part of January at the earliest. House Democrats have publicly stated that they plan to bring up a bill that would reopen the government when they assume control on January 3. Whether that has any impact on negotiations remains to be seen.