We Have a Speaker... Now What?

After a whirlwind-nearly three weeks without a leader, the House of Representatives elected Congressman Mike Johnson (R-LA) to serve as the chamber’s Speaker.  Lawmakers got back to work and approved a resolution saying the House “stands with Israel” and “condemns Hamas’ brutal war.” With a leader in position, the chamber is expected to pick up regular business. Looming large on the horizon: the quickly-approaching November 17 deadline for the current continuing resolution. Congress will need to decide if they want a shutdown, another short-term extension, or to pass final appropriations bills.

Earlier in the week, the Senate announced a bipartisan agreement to proceed with amendment votes and final passage of the Senate FY24 appropriations minibus that includes Military Construction/Veterans' Affairs, Agriculture, and the Transportation/Housing and Urban Development bills.  The agreement includes dozens of amendments so voting is expected to continue into next week. Our slice of the pie is NOT included, so we would either move in a separate package or get a short term CR. Senate-proposed funding levels are aligned with the funding caps established in the deal to raise the debt ceiling, whereas the House Republicans have advanced a budget for education that reduces investment to USED by 28% overall (including an 80% cut to Title I - more on their proposal here).  We will continue to update the blog as we learn more.

President Biden followed up his request for supplemental aid to support Ukraine and Israel/Palestine with a request for funding for domestic priorities, a package totaling $56 billion, including funding for natural disasters, school disaster recovery efforts, child care, and internet access. This domestic supplemental will take a backseat to the broader FY24 funding conversations as well as the foreign aid conversation.