Last month, President Trump signed H.R. 6157, a bill providing Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 funding for several agencies covered by the Department of Defense and Labor-Health and Human Services appropriations bills as well as a Continuing Resolution (CR) for other agencies that have otherwise not received FY19 appropriations, thereby preventing a partial government shutdown until December 7, 2018. Agencies funded by the Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, Legislative Branch, and Energy and Water appropriations bill received their full-year funding under previously enacted legislation.

EPA is one of the agencies operating on the continuing resolution, along with IRS and other Department of Treasury Offices and Bureaus, CBP and FLETC, CFTC, FCC, FDA (portions) FEC, NPS, PTO, SEC, and USDA. (Please note many agencies have multiple funding sources—appropriations, fees, trust and working capital funds—so each agency can have employees covered under different funding sources and laws.)

The House and Senate are both out until November 13th, leaving only a few weeks to reach a resolution on outstanding issues, including a possible pay increase for federal employees, before the December 7th deadline. While a House-Senate conference committee remains in negotiations over the Financial Services and General Government, Agriculture, Interior, and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill (also referred to as minibus II), neither chamber has passed funding for the Homeland Security, Commerce-Justice-Science, and State-Foreign Operations appropriations bills. Resolution of outstanding issues may hinge on the outcome of the midterm elections, resulting in an orderly passage of all or some of the remaining bills, a full or partial CR, or even a shutdown.

NTEU continues pushing for adequate funding for our agencies and a pay increase for federal workers, while fighting against a government shutdown.