September 20, 2019
With 11 Days To Go…
Remember the two-year spending agreement that was reached earlier this summer that increased the budget caps for both FY2020 and FY2021? Well, that seems like a distant memory at this point. When the agreement was reached, there were hopes that the FY2020 appropriations process would turn into a relatively smooth one. Fast forward to today…
September 16, 2019
UW Joins Call for Congressional Action on DACA
On Friday, August 30th UW signed a letter, alongside nearly 600 other US higher education institutions, urging Congress to take swift, bipartisan action on DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). The letter was circulated by The American Council on Education and is addressed to leadership in both the House and Senate. DACA provides a two-year…
September 13, 2019
Some Progress Made but Uncertainties Remain
The Senate Appropriations Committee made some progress yesterday but hurdles still remain in the FY2020 appropriations process. In a bipartisan manner, the committee reported out the Energy and Water Development bill by a unanimous vote of 31 – 0. Bipartisan support for the bill was expected. For the most part, research programs supported by the…
September 11, 2019
Well, That Didn’t Take Long
After the Senate Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee postponed the markup of its bill yesterday because of an expected amendment on abortion, the full committee has also officially postponed its consideration of the measure, originally scheduled for tomorrow. In addition, the committee has dropped from its agenda its consideration of the State-Foreign Operations bill over issues related…
Is It Falling Apart Already?
Only weeks after an announcement that the White House, the Senate Republicans, and the House Democrats had reached a deal on the top-line spending limits for FY2020 and FY2021 and thus enabling the Senate to move forward on its FY2020 appropriations bills, Senate appropriators came across potential roadblocks yesterday during their first markup of the…
September 6, 2019
Congress Back in Town Next Week
With Labor Day now in the rear view mirror, both chambers of Congress are scheduled to return to town next week. Near the top of its “to-do” list, the Senate must take up all 12 of the spending bills for FY2020, which is scheduled to start on October 1. In an attempt to make progress,…
August 2, 2019
Spending Deal Signed Into Law
After clearing the Senate yesterday by a 67-28 margin, H. R. 3877, the two-year spending deal, was signed into law earlier today by the president. The law increases the discretionary spending levels for FY2020 and FY2021, effectively ending the last two years of potentially draconian spending cuts called for by the Budget Control Act of…
July 26, 2019
On to the Senate
By a vote of 284 to 149, the House cleared yesterday H. R. 3877, the bipartisan package that would increase the debt limit and increase the spending levels for the next two fiscal years. Even after an agreement was reached earlier in the week, there were some questions as to whether the President supported it. …
July 25, 2019
House Takes Up Budget Agreement
With the August recess scheduled to start this weekend serving as the impetus, the House will take up later today the two-year budget deal that was agreed to by the Congressional Democrats and the White House. The agreement would, among other things, increase the debt limit as well as raise the spending caps on discretionary…
July 23, 2019
Budget and Debt Limit Agreement Reached
Following a series of phone calls and in-person negotiations, an agreement was reached last evening that would, if signed into law, raise both the debt limit and the spending levels for next year and FY2021. Shortly after President Trump announced that a deal was agreed to, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck…