Appropriations Gets another Week; House Hearings on Foreign Assistance and Food Security
This week, Congress plans to pass another continuing resolution (CR) that is expected to last until mid-December, as the current one is set to expire on Oct. 31st. The Senate plans to resume consideration of the Commerce-Justice-Science bill, while the House plans to appoint conferees for the Interior-Environment bill. With only 4 bills sent to the White House and only 2 signed into law, Congress has its work cut out to complete the remaining bills before the end of the year. As time runs out, it appears the $48.7 billion FY10 State, Foreign Ops bill, the largest component of the International Affairs Budget, will be attached to the Defense spending bill, along with any other remaining measures not yet passed by the Senate.
Against the backdrop of the devastating bombings in Iraq over the weekend, the President and his national security team meet again this week to review U.S. strategy in Afghanistan. In addition, the House Foreign Affairs Committee holds two hearings on Thursday, one on U.S. foreign assistance and the struggle against terrorism and the other on the Administration’s global food security initiative. For times and locations, visit the House Foreign Affairs website.
