Yesterday, President Biden signed into law H.R. 6363, a continuing resolution (CR) that will fund the government until after the New Year, and thereby avert a shutdown that otherwise would have started tomorrow. The CR funds most of the government through February 2, while four spending bills would be funded through January 19: Agriculture, Energy and Water, Military Construction-VA and Transportation-HUD.
The Senate passed the package on Wednesday by a vote of 87-11. The package passed the House on Tuesday by a vote of 336-95, with 207 Democrats joining 127 Republicans to secure passage. Notably, even more Republican voted against this package than the CR negotiated by then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to avert the would-be shutdown on October 1.
The passage of the CR now sets up what will likely be intense negotiations between the House and Senate on the fiscal year 2024 appropriations. The House has pushed for drastic spending cuts, including to federal programs for workforce development that are critical for addressing shortages in long-term care, while the Senate has pushed for a more status-quo approach.
Lawmakers must also contend with a provision that was included in the debt ceiling deal Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA), enacted this Spring. That legislation established discretionary spending limits for two years and called for across-the-board automatic spending cuts of 1% if appropriations bills aren't passed by January 1.
Argentum will continue to monitor developments in the appropriations negotiations and advocate for retaining and expanding the workforce development programs that have been threatened by House lawmakers.
