Congressional Leaders Agree to Vote on One-Week Stopgap Bill
Congressional leaders are trying to give their negotiators more time to reach an agreement on a COVID-19 relief package and the $1.4 trillion omnibus spending bill to which pandemic relief would be attached.
Groundhog Day was Fun – Washington’s Sequels Are Terrible and Need to End
As the clock once again ticks ever closer to another fiscal year cliff – the expiration of the latest continuing resolution (CR) on December 11, and the potential government shutdown it would bring – we are reminded of the movie Groundhog Day.
Lawmakers Calls to Defund and Block Schedule F Grow
Members of Congress and employee groups are asking for President Trump’s Executive Order on Creating Schedule F in the Excepted Service to be blocked in the next spending bill.
Lawmakers Reach Spending Cap for Omnibus Spending Bill
Appropriations committee leaders have reached a bipartisan deal on top-line spending levels for all 12 parts of the omnibus spending bill. Congress has until December 11, 2020 to fund the government and avoid a shutdown.
Congress Seeks Details from Agencies on Burrowing In
House Democrats want to know whether President Trump’s political appointees are being converted into career civil servants.
Talks on Omnibus Spending Bill Between Chambers of Congress Begin
In the House and the Senate, initial talks for an omnibus appropriations bill have begun. The goal of these initial talks is to agree on top-line spending levels that will be included. Congress has until December 11, 2020 to fund the government and both Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) have stated that they do not want another continuing resolution and would rather have an appropriations package ready to go.
Senate Releases Spending Bills for Fiscal Year 2021
Senate appropriators released all 12 of their fiscal year 2021 spending bills on the morning of November 10, 2020. Lawmakers have until December 11, 2020 to secure government spending and avoid a federal shutdown. Both Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) have called for a new omnibus spending bill, which would fund all government agencies in a single large package, rather than another continuing resolution that only funds the government temporarily at previous levels.
Avoidance of Government Shutdown Rests on Lame Duck Spending Deal
As lawmakers approach the December 11, 2020 stopgap funding deadline, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin remain stuck on several issues relating to COVID-19 and funding of the government. If Congress and the White House are unable to reach another stopgap funding deal by December 11, then a partial government shutdown could occur.
Legislation Introduced to Make Payroll Tax Deferral Program Optional
Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and over a dozen Senate Democrats introduced legislation, the Protecting Employees from Surprise Taxes Act, which would make the Trump administration’s tax deferral program optional for federal employees and service members. The legislation states that employees who wish to partake in the program must provide written consent to their employers.
Future of Defense Task Force Exposes Major Vulnerabilities in U.S. National Security
On September 29, 2020, the bipartisan Future of Defense Task Force released their final report, findings, and recommendations following a months-long review of U.S. defense assets and capabilities. The task force’s results show that U.S. national security is at a turning point. The report states that remaining competitive “will require a paradigm shift in our defense posture from heavy, expensive, and antiquated, to lean, adaptive, and integrated.”
Regular Disorder
A phrase that gets thrown around a lot in Congress is “regular order.” Typically, this phrase is used in a context like “regrettably, it has been impossible to pass appropriations through regular order for many years.”
House Modernization Committee Issues Final Round of Recommendations
The House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress passed its final round of recommendations before the end of its term. The committee has passed 97 bipartisan recommendations in its 20-month lifespan. The latest set of recommendations includes several provisions strengthening the legislative branch, namely those that strive to reform the budget and appropriations process.
Reps. Hurd, Kelly Push for New AI Resolution
Representatives Will Hurd (R-TX) and Robin Kelly (D-IL) recently proposed creating a national artificial intelligence (AI) strategy in a concurrent resolution. The resolution consists of 78 actions that would lead to an overarching AI strategy in the United States. These actions have been suggested after many stakeholder meetings discussing AI policy challenges, development, spending, workforce training, and ethical issues.
Proposal Directs $1 Million in Funding to Investigate COVID-19 Misinformation, Disinformation
Democrats in both the House and the Senate recently proposed legislation that would grant $1 million to the National Science Foundation (NSF) for a probe into how online disinformation and misinformation disrupted the public response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Disinformation refers to details that are inherently manipulated or disseminated with an intentional aim to be deceptive. Misinformation does not necessarily involve the intent to mislead.
House Introduces Funding Bill Without Senate Support
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced a new stopgap government funding bill this week without first securing support from her Republican counterparts in the Senate or the White House. This bill would extend current levels of spending for agencies past the September 30 end of the fiscal year through December 11.
Congress, White House Reach Informal Agreement to Prevent Government Shutdown
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin have reportedly agreed to a stopgap, government-wide funding bill for federal agencies. This informal consensus would avoid a government shutdown in October and extend funding at fiscal year 2020 levels for federal agencies until at least the November 3, 2020 election.
USCIS Furloughs Canceled Following Congressional Pressure
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) was planning on furloughing at least 13,000 employees at the end of this month due to budgetary shortfalls. On Tuesday, Joseph Edlow, the agency’s Deputy Director for Policy, announced the agency will have enough funding to maintain operations through the end of the year following Congressional pressure.
AFGE Pushes for Federal Workforce Provisions in 2021 NDAA
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest union for the federal workforce, is pushing for the inclusion of several federal workforce provisions within the FY 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Their primary focuses include securing proper pay and keeping federal jobs.