The president signed a FY2015 Continuing Resolution (CR)—H.J. Res 124—that will fund the government through December 11, 2014. The House passed the CR (319-108) last Wednesday and the Senate approved it (78-22) on Thursday, 78-22.
After the Senate passed CR, Senate Appropriations Committee (SAC) chair Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) said the goal of the CR “is to lay the groundwork for an omnibus funding bill in December that will include all 12 appropriations bills.” Mikulski said she supported the bill because it avoided a government shutdown, does not harm existing important programs, provides funding for the nation’s security, and will allow Congress time to negotiate an omnibus appropriations bill.
The bill sets the discretionary funding level for the federal government during CR period at an annual rate of $1.012 trillion.
Final action on the CR came after agreement was reached on a proposal to authorize the training and arming of Syrian rebels fighting Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) forces. The bill allows the Department of Defense (DoD) to reprogram funds provided to DoD in the CR to support this action.
The bill also extends expiring Department of Defense (DoD) activities, such as counterdrug activities and support of the Office of Security Cooperation in Iraq, and provides State Department funding to counter regional aggression toward Ukraine. Additional Veterans Affairs funding is included to process disability claims and to investigate improper conduct, and the Customs and Border Protection receives funding flexibility to address urgent problems. The bill also includes $88 million requested by the administration to address the Ebola crisis, extends the operating authority of the Export-Import Bank through June 30, 2015 and extends the Internet Tax Freedom Act through Dec 11, 2014.
After passing the CR, the House and Senate adjourned for the November mid-term elections. The Senate may convene in October to conduct some business, but the full Congress will not return until after Veterans Day (Nov. 11). At that time Congress will begin a lame duck session to address unfinished business, including the passage of FY2015 appropriations.
To date the House has only passed seven FY2015 appropriations bills while the Senate has passed none. Congress will have less than one month to reach agreement on the details of all 12 appropriations bills, put them together in an omnibus bill, and get it to the president by December 11th. If Congress does not meet this deadline it will have to pass another CR to avert a government shutdown.
It is sad that Congress is incapable of doing what they were hired to do ie pass a budget prior to 1 Oct.
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