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The House and Senate are in recess until the November election. The Legislative Update will return with Congress on November 12 following the Veterans Day holiday.
Last Thursday, President Biden signed into law the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 (P.L. 118-83) after the House and Senate passed the legislation by votes of (341-82) and (78-18) respectively. The legislation will give lawmakers until December 20 to fully fund federal agencies and other expiring programs. In addition to extending funding for agencies at current funding levels, here are a few provisions from the CR:
- $10 billion in additional funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief fund.
- $231 million to the Secret Service to enhance protective operations for presidential candidates in the wake of two assassination attempts on former President Trump.
- Both the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program and the National Flood Insurance Program would receive extensions.
- The E-Verify program and the Homeland Security Department’s Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office would not receive extensions in the legislation.
Following the vote, Lawmakers will go on a month-long October recess, returning after the general election with just 20 legislative days to pass a long-term solution to government funding.
After Category 4 Hurricane Helene tore through the Southeast, killing over 100 and more than 600 missing, President Joe Biden said Congress may need to return early to pass an emergency supplemental. The 800-mile path of the hurricane left over 2 million homes and businesses without power and will surely bring billions of dollars worth of damage to communities. The legislation passed by Congress last week opened up $20 billion in FEMA disaster relief funds. However, FEMA has allocated $6 billion of that funding to efforts for flooding in Vermont and wildfires in Hawaii. Lawmakers from affected states are calling for Congress to return early and take action on a supplemental package.
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