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The House and Senate are in session this week, returning Tuesday after the Yom Kippur holiday. Lawmakers have just five days left to pass a short-term continuing resolution (CR) until federal government funding runs out beginning the first day of Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, on October 1. Congressional leaders must maximize every legislative moment as the pressure mounts to pass a short-term extensions of government funding, in addition to temporarily authorizing Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Farm Bill programs. As it stands, a government shutdown seems likely as Congress has been unable to resolve differences on funding levels.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif) recently held a GOP conference call to share the plan for the upcoming week. Ultimately, the Speaker wants to pass stopgap funding to give the House more time to pass additional FY24 spending bills and improve the House GOP’s leverage with the Senate when deciding full-year funding. The Speaker plans to take the base text of the previously introduced Continuing Appropriations and Border Security Enhancement Act, 2024 and potentially extend the length of the CR from October 31 to November 15, 2023. The House has scheduled four FY 2024 spending bills for consideration this week. House Republicans have set up debate for the FY24 Defense, Homeland Security, State-Foreign Operations, and Agriculture-Rural Development spending bills, with a total of $3.8 billion in cuts to agriculture and foreign aid programs. It is uncertain if Republican leadership will have the necessary 217 votes to adopt the rule covering debate and amendments to the bills. Tentatively, the House plans to debate and adopt the rule on Tuesday evening, debate and consideration of 440 amendments on the four bills over three days, and then final votes on all four bills on Friday. The most conservative members of the Republican Conference have stated that they will not vote for a CR and are demanding the lower chamber make additional significant cuts to the spending bills and continue voting on the remaining FY24 spending bills.
In the upper chamber, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) will move to use the House-passed Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act (H.R. 3935), the House version of the five-=year FAA reauthorization bill. The Senate’s own version of the FAA bill has stalled in committee, and Leader Schumer will use the House version of the bill (minus the House-passed language) as a vehicle to pass a CR to extend programs and include disaster relief assistance and Ukraine aid. Failing to extend the FAA’s programs would lead to a furlough of employees, and most airport construction projects would be forced to halt. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) said the FAA will most likely receive a three-month extension this week. House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chair Sam Graves (R-Mo.) said that he believes the House will consider a standalone bill extending certain FAA authorities. The U.S. Travel Association estimates that the U.S. economy would lose as much as $140 million per day if a federal government shutdown were to occur. The Senate may choose to extend government funding through at least December. Senate Republicans, including Rand Paul (R-Ky.), have maintained that he will not vote for a continuing resolution that includes additional assistance to Ukraine.
The House will consider two suspension bills, including the Senate-passed Fiscal Year 2024 VA Extenders Legislation (S. 2795), which extends Department of Veterans Affairs authorities related to medical treatment, education benefits, and home loan fees. The House will also vote on the Protecting Hunting Heritage and Education Act (H.R. 5110), allowing elementary schools to use federal aid for archery, hunting, other shooting sports, or culinary arts.
For the remainder of the week, the Senate will hold several hearings, including a Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs hearing on “The State of Flood Insurance in America.”
The House will hold a Transportation & Infrastructure hearing on “Clean Water Infrastructure Financing: State and Local Perspectives and Recent Developments;” and a Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing on “VA’s Fiduciary Program: Ensuring Veterans’ Benefits are Properly Managed.”
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