The president signed the two FY2020 appropriations package late Friday, officially averting a shutdown. There are approximately only nine months left in the current fiscal year, as FY2021 starts October 1, 2020.
News and updates
What We’re Reading this Week
Below is a selection of articles the Federal Relations team read this week.
President Trump Impeached- President Trump was officially impeached by the House of Representatives on Wednesday evening. Now, he must face a trial in the Republican-controlled Senate which will determine if he is removed from office. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has confirmed that she will not transmit the articles of impeachment until Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) establishes rules for the trial. Updates at Washington Post.
Heavy Rain for Western WA- The Seattle area received a record amount of rainfall on Friday, and more is expected. See Seattle Times for more.
Michigan Institute Pays Settlement for Undisclosed Foreign Influence- The Van Andel Institute in Grand Rapids, MI was ordered to pay $5.5 million after failing to disclose Chinese support its’ researchers received between 2012-2019. Full story at WSJ.
Report Finds Foster Children Less Likely to Graduate- In the two years since the Federal Government required states to report high school graduation rates of foster children, very little information has been made public. What has been revealed is that foster children have an extremely low graduation rate- just 35% in Oregon- because of constant transitions and a lack of support network. More at Kansas City Star.
Brexit on Track- After winning a majority in Parliament, PM Boris Johnson announced Brexit is on track for the end of January. MPs voted 358-234 in favor of the EU Withdrawal Bill. More at BBC.
Now, They’re Ready to be Signed
Earlier today, the Senate cleared the two packages of FY2020 spending bills, which were approved by the House on Tuesday.
The Senate approved the eight-bill “non-security” measure first and then followed that up with the four-bill “security” package.
The bills will now be sent to the President for his signature.
New NSF Director to be Nominated
Today, the President announced the intent to nominate Sethuraman Panchanathan of Arizona State University, to be the director of the National Science Foundation.
Currently, Panchanathan serves as the Executive Vice President and the Chief Research and Innovation Officer at ASU.
The NSF director serves a 6 year term. Current director, Dr. France A. Córdova, has served since March 2014.
House Passes FY2020 Appropriations Measures
The House passed two spending packages of nearly $1.4 trillion to fund federal agencies through FY20. The current federal funding continuing resolution expires at midnight Friday.
The Senate is expected to clear the pair of bills for President Donald Trump’s signature later this week.
The bipartisan agreement provides $49 billion in extra funding across the government and includes sweeping policy provisions, including to raise the legal age of tobacco purchases to 21, reauthorize PCORI, extend the Ex-IM bank for seven years, and repeal of several health taxes in Obamacare.