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News and updates

News and updates

Spending Bill Clears House, Ready To Be Signed

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Following the Senate’s lead, the House cleared last night H.J. Res. 31, the measure that would keep the government funded through the rest of the fiscal year (read the explanatory statement for the legislation here).  The House vote was 300 – 128.

As noted yesterday, after President Trump signs the measure later this morning, he is expected to declare a national emergency in an attempt to find additional sources of funding for a wall along the Southern border.  Multiple court challenges are expected to such a move.

 

Funding Bill Includes Increases

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An initial review of the conference report shows that it contains increases for a number of agencies and accounts of interest to UW.

For example, the bill would fund NSF at $8.075 billion, an increase of $308 million above the FY2018 level. Wtihin NSF, the bill would fund:

  • Research and Related Activities at $6.52 billion
  • Education and Human Resources at $910 million
  • Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction at $295.7 million

With respect to NASA, the bill would appropriate $6.91 billion to the Science Mission Directorate while it would support the Space Technology Directorate at $926.9 million.  The Aeronautics Directorate would receive $725 million under this bill.

 

We will provide additional updates.

 

Trump to Sign Spending Bill, Then Declare National Emergency

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Late this afternoon, the Senate cleared by a vote of 83 to 16 the spending package that would fund the entire government for the rest of the fiscal year (the text of the conference report is available here). The Senate moved to vote on the bill even as the Members were unclear as to whether the President would actually sign it.

To end the drama, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) appeared on the Senate floor to announce that President Trump would sign the bill, which does not contain the $5.7 billion requested by the President for a concrete wall.  While declaring that the bill would be signed by the President, McConnell also added that President Trump also plans to declare a national emergency, in an attempt to find additional ways to construct the wall.  A number of Republicans in both chambers of Congress have expressed reservations about such a move, as they are concerned that a future Democratic president might declare a national emergency for other issues, such as gun violence or climate change.  If and when a national emergency is declared, various lawsuits are expected to be filed, challenging that declaration.

The House is scheduled to take up the measure later this evening.

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

We will provide details from the conference report shortly.

UW Physician Testifies in Senate HELP Committee

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Today, Dr. Katherine Bennett testified in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions at the invitation of Senator Patty Murray. The hearing, titled “How Primary Care Affects Health Care Costs and Outcomes,” can be viewed on the HELP committee’s website here.

HELP Primary Care Costs Hearing

NSF and NASA Resumption of Operations

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The National Science Foundation issued the following notice concerning the reopening of the government:

A Resumption of Operations at NSF page has been developed that includes Important Notice No. 145, Resumption of Operations at the National Science Foundation, dated January 28, 2019, as well as supplemental guidance that addresses grant and cooperative agreement-related policy and systems issues.  This page will be of interest to your membership and we would appreciate your sharing this link as soon as possible. This page will continue to be updated as new information becomes available.

Policy-related questions regarding resumption of operations at NSF may be addressed to policy@nsf.gov.

 

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine issued a message to the NASA workforce today.