Funding Takes Center Stage as August Recess Concludes

As August recess ends today, government funding angst takes center stage as the most pressing priority on Capitol Hill. With a looming end-of-month deadline just 25 days away, it’s essential to take stock of what to expect in the coming weeks.

In the Senate, leaders are tentatively planning floor action on several crucial spending bills related to Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, Transportation and Housing and Urban Development, Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration. It’s worth noting that before the recess, the Senate Appropriations Committee accomplished a noteworthy feat by advancing all 12 required spending bills to the floor—an achievement not seen in half a decade and a testament to the bipartisanship among Senate appropriators.

Turning our attention to the House of Representatives, the House Rules Committee’s website suggests that the lower chamber is gearing up for floor action on several significant spending measures when the House returns next week. While the House successfully passed its version of the Military Construction-Veterans Affairs’ spending bill, it decided to defer action on other appropriations bills, such as the Agriculture-FDA spending bill, just a day before adjourning for the break. Additionally, the House Appropriations Committee has yet to send its Labor-HHS-Education funding bill to the floor, which authorizes funding for I/DD services. This adds another layer of complexity to the funding discussions for I/DD providers.