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Category: Legislation

Omnibus Released

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House Republican Leadership released the long-awaited FY 2016 omnibus appropriations and tax extenders package late last night. The $1.15 trillion, 2,009-page package was delayed until just after 1:30 a.m. Wednesday after party leaders spent Tuesday swapping final offers.

House Republican Leadership initially said they would adhere to the GOP’s “three-day rule,” releasing the package on Tuesday and scheduling a House final passage vote Thursday. However, with the delay in filing the measure until Wednesday morning, the House also unveiled a third short-term continuing resolution (CR) to extend federal spending authority until December 22nd as a precautionary measure. The third stop gap is expected to pass both chamber today as the second CR expires tonight at midnight.

At present, the House is expected to vote on the tax-extenders package on Thursday and the omnibus spending bill on Friday, the last business for Congress before the holidays.

House Democrats have not endorsed the legislation yet, but have stated they will go through the massive bill line-by-line.

The FY 2016 Omnibus abandons the most contentious policy riders that have highly contentious and held up recent negotiations, including language that would have penalized Planned Parenthood, blocked a major clean water rule from the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers, relaxed coordination restrictions on the national political parties, imposed new restrictions on refugees from the Middle East, and peeled back portions of the Dodd-Frank financial regulatory overhaul.

One of the biggest legislative add-ons to the omnibus is a repeal of the decades-old ban on crude oil exports, which is a priority for House Republicans.

The Senate is expected to consider the legislation later in the week.

Given the size of the bill, details are still forthcoming, but highlights include:

  • The National Institutes of Health received $32 billion, $2 billion above current levels.
  • The National Science Foundation is funded at $7.5 billion, an increase of $119 million, and directorates such as Social and Behavioral Sciences were funded at FY 2015 levels.
  • NASA is funded at $19.3 billion, an increase of $1.3 billion above the fiscal year 2015 enacted level to advance America’s leadership in space and science. Within this total, $4 billion is provided for Exploration, including funding to keep the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle and Space Launch System on schedule, and $5.6 billion is provided for science programs.
  • Defense research was funded at $69.8 billion for research, development, testing, and evaluation of new defense technologies, which was minor increases.
  • The maximum Pell Grant award is increased to $5,915.
  • Title VI International Education programs were held at FY 2015 levels.
  • NOAA received $5.8 billion, which is $325 million above the fiscal year 2015 enacted level. Funding was included for the National Weather Service to provide critical weather information to the public, and investments in new and existing weather satellites that are essential to maintain and improve weather forecasts, including the Polar Follow On program.
  • Maximum Pell Grant award to $5,915, funded by a combination of discretionary and mandatory funds.

Federal Relations continues to review the legislation and will continue to provide updates.

 

 

 

Short Term CR through December 16

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The House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday released a five-day continuing resolution (CR) that would keep federal agencies operative through midnight on December 16th. The stopgap would provide omnibus negotiators with additional time to strike a deal on a $1.1 trillion agreement to close out fiscal 2016. Both chambers must pass the resolution by the end of the day Friday (December 11th) to extend current budget authority and avoid government shutdown.

It appears that December 16th was the shortest possible extension needed to finish appropriations work that’s still left, but the tight turnaround time runs the risk of another stopgap being needed.

Congress is scheduled to adjourn for the year on December 18th. While lawmakers say funding levels for agencies have largely been settled, a tax extenders package and “40 to 42” policy riders are still being negotiated, including language related to campaign finance, labor regulations, abortion, treatment of Syrian refuges, and environmental regulations.

Members will be in session tomorrow, but not over the weekend. Depending on the progress of negotiations, members will convene on Monday or Tuesday.

Read more from The Hill and Roll Call.

 

McCarthy Announces Short-term CR

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House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) announced that the House will take up a short-term Continuing Resolution (CR), as expected previously, to fund the federal government beyond midnight Friday.

At this point, it is unclear how long the CR will last, but with the announcement McCarthy also said that Members should expect to work Friday and Saturday.

If the House works through the weekend, it is highly unlikely they will stay into next week, and there will be some resolution, whether that be an omnibus or a longer CR, soon.

Stay tuned…

Senate Clears Highway Bill, On to Obama

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Last night, the Senate cleared the $305 billion surface transportation reauthorization revealed this week. This is the first five-year highway and transit reauthorization Congress has passed since 2005.The bill also includes a four-year extension of the Export-Import Bank charter, through fiscal 2019.

The measure passed by a 83-16 vote. Passage of the highway and transit bill comes one day before the current law expires.

President Obama is expected to sign it shortly.

Transportation Reauthorization Agreement Reached

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An agreement was announced this Tuesday afternoon after a majority of conferees signed off on the package with days to spare before the short-term reauthorization expires on Friday, December 4th. The mammoth deal, which authorizes for highway and transit programs, as well as Amtrak, through fiscal year 2020, is set to move through the House and Senate this week.

The agreement provides roughly $305 billion for federal transportation programs and outlines the policy that will govern highway, transit and rail spending for the next five years.

The measure requires offsets for a general fund transfer to the Highway Trust Fund of around $70 billion, of which about $51.9 billion would go to highways and $18.1 billion to mass transit.

Negotiators said they reluctantly included many the pay-fors, including a plan to use a billion of Federal Reserve funds (cutting the dividend the Federal Reserve pays to certain member banks, tapping the Federal Reserve surplus account meant to help the central bank absorb losses), selling a portion of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and a separate idea to funnel revenue from a customs fee levied on airline and cruise passengers to the highway fund.

The bill also includes a provision to revive the Export-Import Bank, an export-promoting agency that expired last summer amid attacks from conservatives, but does not contain renew the 9/11first responders heathcare program.

The bipartisan deal is expected to pass both chambers. However, it is unclear how fast House and Senate leadership can shepherd it through, potentially necessitating one more short-term extension before Friday.

A five year deal is a huge win for Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) who can show a return to regular order for the House after the tumultuous last few years of Speaker Boehner’s tenure. Delivering a long-term, fully funded highway and transit bill to the White House would be a major coup — the first time Congress has accomplished the feat since George W. Bush was in the White House.