Congress on Track to Pass CR Today

Congress is on track to move the upcoming government funding deadlines into March during today’s session. Late yesterday, Senate leadership locked in a “time agreement” that queues up a series of amendment votes prior to the final up-or-down vote on the continuing resolution (CR). With bad weather forecasted in Washington tomorrow, the House will move to consider the CR under suspension of the rules upon passage in the Senate today, sending the stopgap to President Biden’s desk for signature. Upon enactment of the CR, funding for Agriculture-FDA, Military Construction-VA, Energy-Water, and Transportation-HUD will run through March 1, with everything else funded through March 8.

— THE LATEST ON SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING. A bipartisan group of Senate negotiators are hoping to unveil a deal on the long-anticipated supplemental funding bill this week ahead of possible floor action soon. According to reports from Capitol Hill, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) told Democrats yesterday that the forthcoming package — which is expected to include border security funds and policy changes along with buckets of foreign aid — will be brought to the Senate floor for consideration next week. However, this time frame could shift, as Leader Schumer noted that bill text still needs to be written and properly vetted. While the Senate is close to hitting paydirt after months of arduous negotiations, House Republicans are maintaining their position that the GOP’s Protect the Border Act (H.R. 2) must be included in its entirety in order for additional foreign aid to pass the chamber. As such, the prospects of the supplemental package are unclear absent movement from Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) toward a bipartisan agreement.