With just over two weeks until the current Continuing Resolution expires on December 20, 2019, Congress and the White House continue to work on a final spending agreement for Fiscal Year 2020. Before the Thanksgiving holiday, congressional leaders announced an agreement on the spending limits for each of the 12 appropriations bills, which was needed to move forward on a final spending deal. Subcommittee chairmen and ranking members now need to work out how much of their allocation goes to the various agencies funded in the bills and resolve outstanding issues, including funding for border security and the ability of the President to transfer funding from other accounts for border security.
Yesterday, it was reported that House Democratic leaders are insisting that all 12 spending bills must be finalized before any of them can reach the floor in order to ensure that all agencies receive their necessary funding. While passage of all 12 bills would be ideal, it’s not clear if Congress has enough time to get them all written and passed by the December 20 deadline. While year-end spending deals are sometimes packaged into a single omnibus measure, President Trump has said he will not sign another omnibus bill, and leaders are contemplating dividing the bills into two or more packages. Further, it has been reported that there is a chance President Trump will not sign any government funding bills until he knows how funding for DHS and border security will be addressed, leaving open the possibility of another government shutdown.
NTEU continues to work with our allies on the Hill to keep agencies open, provide competitive pay, and protect collective bargaining rights. We will keep you posted as more information becomes available. For more information, go to nteu.org.