October 27, 2011
The Office of Federal Relations Team is not making any holiday plans – for now – as it now looks like Congress won’t wrap up annual appropriations work nor consider recommendations for long-term deficit until just before Christmas. House appropriators may try to expedite completion of overdue FY12 appropriations bills by adding one or two… Read More
October 17, 2011
While the House is in recess this week, the Senate will continue working on FY12 appropriations measures in an effort to create a path forward on completing those bills before the continuing resolution (CR) expires on November 18th. Later today, the Senate will test the waters with a “minibus,” which would include three spending bills… Read More
September 29, 2011
The House Appropriations Committee released their draft Labor-HHS-Education spending bill today in which they executed several spending cuts and revoked all additional funding for “Obamacare”. Some highlights: Health & Human Services The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is funded at $6.7 billion, a $1.5 billion increase over FY11 levels The National Institutes of Health… Read More
September 26, 2011
With just five days until the end of the current federal fiscal year, congressional leaders continue to work to resolve an impasse over how to pay for disaster aid that threatens to shut down the government on Friday at midnight. There appears to be bipartisan support for a continuing resolution (CR) that would allow the… Read More
September 23, 2011
Late last night (or early morning, if you want to be more accurate), the House approved a continuing resolution (CR) to keep federal government running past September 30th but the bill faces challenges in the Senate this morning. Even before passage of the House bill, Senate Majority Leader Reid (D-NV) warned his caucus would block… Read More
September 22, 2011
Yesterday, the House of Representatives failed to approve a continuing resolution (CR) that would fund federal government beyond September 30th – the end of the federal fiscal year. That CR would have extended funding at current levels through November 18th. Two issues caused the defeat of the bill. First, the failed CR would have set… Read More
September 15, 2011
The American Jobs Act introduced by President Obama last week and delivered to congress in full bill form this week, looks like it may carry some tax implications for UW. If passed, the bill would expand and extend the existing payroll tax reduction for employees from the already reduced rate of 4.2% to 3.1%. Would… Read More
September 9, 2011
Last night in a joint address to Congress, President Obama laid forth a $447 billion plan designed to put Americans back to work and jumpstart the struggling economy. The proposed package includes $245 billion in tax cuts, $140 billion in investments in infrastructure and local aid, and $62 billion in continued unemployment benefits. To ensure… Read More
August 31, 2011
The Association of American Universities (AAU) released the following outlook today for the appropriations process scheduled to resume next week when congress returns from recess: The Senate Appropriations Committee will begin moving its FY12 bills next week as soon as the Senate returns from the August recess on September 6. Two bills will be marked… Read More
August 2, 2011
The House approved the deficit reduction bill last night by a vote of 269-161; 95 Democrats and 66 Republicans voted against the measure. Congressmen Adam Smith and Jim McDermott voted no, while the remaining members of our delegation voted in favor of the bill. The Senate is expected to clear deficit reduction legislation at noon today. … Read More
