Congress debates spending bills, considers short-term Continuing Resolution
This week, lawmakers continued to negotiate spending bills for Fiscal Year 2019, including funding for HUD and USDA affordable housing programs. Over the summer, the House and Senate worked to advance separate appropriations bills, with the proposed funding levels slightly higher in the Senate version; a conference committee with members from both congressional chambers this week began negotiations to reconcile the two bills ahead of the September 30th deadline. On Thursday, Appropriations Committee leaders from both the House and Senate agreed on a partial appropriations bill to fund a few federal agencies for a full year. The agencies that would receive full-year funding include the Departments of Defense, Labor, Education, and Health and Human Services. Additionally, the legislation would include a stop-gap measure, or continuing resolution, to keep the remaining federal agencies (including HUD and USDA) operating until Dec. 7, 2018, at current FY18 funding levels. The bill also extends the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which is set to expire on September 30th. The Senate is expected to pass the measure next week and send it to President Trump for his signature; however the White House has not indicated if the President will approve or veto the bill. For now, lawmakers are still negotiating a full-year funding agreement for HUD, USDA, and other federal agencies. The Continuing Resolution would prevent a government shutdown if lawmakers are not able to come to an agreement before the end of September. With Members of the House on recess next week, a CR is looking more likely as an avenue to buy lawmakers time to enact full-year funding bills while averting a politically-unpopular shutdown before the mid-term elections in November. NAHMA supports the FY19 funding levels passed by Congress, and applauds members of Congress for working to avert costly government shutdowns; we ask members to continue to advocate for full-year funding for HUD and USDA beginning on October 1, 2018. NAHMA will keep members up-to-date as the negotiations unfold.UP NEXT: What NAHMA is watching for next week
- NAHMA continues to keep those affected by disasters in our thoughts
- NAHMAnalysis of NAHMA member feedback on MORs
- NAHMAnalysis of Fiscal Year 2019 funding bills for HUD and USDA
- NAHMA staff participate in conferences at AHMA NCH and Rocky AHMA