Following approval by the Senate last week, today the House passed an FY22 Budget Resolution as part of a Rule covering several legislative items. This action paves the way for Congressional Democrats to enact major components of the Administration’s domestic agenda using budget reconciliation, which only requires a 51-vote majority in the Senate.

The Budget Resolution matches the Administration’s request of $64 billion for the FY22 International Affairs Budget, although this allocation is not binding. Only the resolution’s overall discretionary spending level – also known as the 302(a) allocation – is binding. Ultimately, it will be up to Congressional Appropriators to determine topline funding levels for the International Affairs Budget as well as other federal agencies.

When Congress returns from its summer recess in mid-September, Members will have less than three weeks to reach an agreement to keep the government funded once the current fiscal year ends on September 30. With no bipartisan agreement on FY22 spending levels, Congress is expected to rely on short-term Continuing Resolutions (CR) while negotiations on full-year spending bills take place.