Government Shutdown Ends
In the early hours of October 17th, President Obama signed H.R. 2775, the Continuing Appropriations Act of 2014, into law. This continuing resolution (CR) will extend appropriations for the federal government through January 15, 2014 at the current (post-sequester) funding level of $986.3 billion. It also removes the threat of a government default by suspending the debt limit through February 7, 2014.
H.R. 2775 passed the Senate by a recorded vote of 81 to 18 (
click here to see how your Senators voted) and it passed the House of Representatives with a recorded vote of 285 to 144 (
click here to see how your Representative voted). Federal employees who were furloughed during the lapse in appropriations were allowed to return to work on the 17th. Along with providing a temporary solution to end the shutdown and default concerns, H.R. 2775 contained several authorization items and additional appropriations:
- Sec. 115 – Ensures furloughed employees are compensated and ratifies obligations made during the shutdown (similar to language used in previous shutdowns)
- Sec. 116 – Compensates States and other Federal grantees for carrying out Federal programs or paying Federally-funded State employees
- Sec. 149 – Extends the authorization of HUD’s Rental Assistance Demonstration program
Unfortunately, no language was provided to compensate O/As for Section 521 Rural Rental Assistance payments that were not received in September.
Lawmakers in the House of Representatives originally passed a CR in September (H.J. Res 59) which contained amendments to defund the Affordable Care Act. After the Senate removed these amendments, the bill bounced back and forth between the two chambers of Congress as Senators and Representatives disagreed over modifications to the health care law. Without finalized appropriations bills for federal departments, nor a CR to continue current appropriations, the federal government shutdown on October 1st. The shutdown was the first experienced by the nation in 17 years.
NAHMA is pleased to see the shutdown end, and we hope that the bipartisan cooperation that generated the CR will carry forward as discussions over fiscal year 2014 spending begin. Lawmakers have until January 15th to agree on a final budget and appropriations bills for federal departments. If an agreement is not made by that date, the government could shutdown once more. Another round of sequester cuts will also take place in January; NAHMA is urging Congress to find a replacement for the arbitrary cuts brought by sequestration and for a reasonable, pragmatic approach to deficit reduction.
To view H.R. 2775, please follow
this link.
