Appropriations Committees back to work
The Senate and House Appropriations Committees resumed their work last week on outlays for fiscal year 2012. With the new fiscal year less than three weeks away, appropriators are also debating legislation that would continue funding the government after Sept. 30, and avoid a shutdown as “omnibus” spending bills are not expected to be completed by that date. Appropriators are expected to recommend a six week “continuing resolution” to fund the government through mid-November. Both the House and Senate Chambers are expected to modify their allocations based on the spending caps enacted in the Budget Control Act. The House has passed six of its 12 fiscal year 2012 spending bills so far, while the Senate has passed only one spending measure, the Military Construction-VA bill. Last week, the House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee postponed its markup, and it is believed because of the Budget Control Act. The revised allocation will be about $14 billion higher than the original, $139.2 billion allocation passed earlier this year. The new allocation of $153 billion is still about $4 billion less than that of the Senate’s $157.134 billion. Continue to monitor this blog for information relating to the ongoing FY 2012 appropriations process. We will also update this blog with information related to the ongoing negotiations of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction. Please contact NRHA government affairs at (202) 639-0550 with any questions.