November 15, 2017
With time winding down before the current Continuing Resolution (CR) expires on December 8th, Washington, DC is abuzz with speculation about how Congress will fund the federal government in Fiscal Year 2018. Already two months into the fiscal year, many Members of Congress on both sides of the political aisle realize that they need to strike a deal to raise the spending caps. Without a deal, appropriators must cut around $5B from Fiscal Year 2017 levels.
Word on the street is that any deal is not likely until late November or December, so Congress will need to pass another CR to fund the federal government beyond December 8th. Appropriators are hoping that once a deal is reached—and topline spending levels are set—they will be able to return to the spending bills that they crafted earlier this year. At present, all twelve spending bills have passed the House, while the Senate has moved its bills through the Appropriations Committee—all without a definitive top-line mark. For a refresher on where funding levels stand for NIH, NSF, and IES in the House and Senate bills, see our newsletter articles here and here.
