Funding Deadline Approaches as Congress Returns to DC

Congress has returned to Washington to finish out the lame-duck session, with the deadline for lawmakers’ top priority fast approaching. 

On Dec. 9 the current stopgap funding measure will expire and another deal will need to be made to keep the government up and running.

“Discussions are ongoing regarding a path forward for the remaining FY17 appropriations,” said a spokesman for Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Thad Cochran.

Before the election, lawmakers discussed several possibilities, including a “minibus,” which would give full-year funding to certain agencies, but would not cover all needs. This option has been criticized by Democrats who voiced their opposition, stating that they would only accept minibuses if they add up to an omnibus that funds the entire government through fiscal 2017.

The spokesman for Chairman Cochran also noted that, as the current funding measure draws closer to its expiration date, there is an “impetus for making a decision soon on how to proceed.”

In September, President Obama signed a measure to appropriate a full-year of spending military construction and the Veterans Affairs Department.