Congress Returns with Full Agenda
Today, Congress returns after a month-long recess with a full agenda. With the healthcare debate looming large and the FY 2010 Appropriations bills waiting for Senate action, both chambers have a busy fall legislative season ahead.
Although the House has passed all 12 FY10 Appropriations bills, including the International Affairs Budget, the Senate has only considered 4 bills thus far. Currently, the International Affairs Budget is on track to be funded at $51 billion, which is $1.7 billion or 3.2 percent below present spending and $2.9 billion or 5.4 percent below the President’s request.
The Senate is expected to consider the $48.7 billion FY10 State, Foreign Operations Appropriations bill, the largest component of the International Affairs Budget, sometime in the next few weeks. The exact timing for floor consideration is unclear, as there are several major policy issues including healthcare, climate change and financial regulation, which may impact the Senate’s schedule. We expect that it will come up in the second or third week of September but expect a more definitive schedule to be set later this week.
Given the current fiscal year ends on September 30th, and with only 15 legislative days remaining, it is likely that Congress will have to pass a Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep the federal government open until it can complete the appropriations process. As in years past, a CR will allow the government to operate at present spending levels. The exact timing and duration of a CR will depend on how many bills remain outstanding in the Senate and how fast House and Senate negotiators can come to agreements on bills that have already passed both chambers.
As a potential vote on the State, Foreign Operations bill gets closer, keep an eye out for information from the USGLC on how you can take action to ensure passage at the full amount to support our civilian-led tools of development and diplomacy.
