Congress Returns with Full Agenda
Congress returns from its month-long August recess today with a full agenda. Admits the pending health care debate, Congress must still complete all of the spending bills before the next fiscal year starts on October 1st. Prior to the August recess, the House passed all 12 Appropriations bills, while the Senate passed only four bills. The FY10 International Affairs Budget is on track to be funded at $51 billion, $2.9 billion or 5.4% below the Administration’s request.
This week, the Senate will resume consideration of the remaining eight Appropriations bills and informal negotiations are expected to begin to reconcile differences between the House and Senate bills until conferees are officially appointed. With only 15 legislative days remaining until the end of the fiscal year, Congress will most likely have to pass a continuing resolution (CR) to keep the federal government open until it completes the FY10 Appropriations process.
