Government Funded Through January 19, 2018

On December 22, 2017, President Trump signed HR 1370, the Further Continuing Appropriations Act of 2018 to keep the government funded through January 19, 2018, averting a government shutdown. Congress now has until the new mid-January deadline to reach agreement on FY18 spending for both defense and non-defense programs.

The Continuing Resolution (CR) comes amidst the passage of a new Republican-backed tax reform legislation that was signed into law just before the Christmas holiday. The CR also allowed Congress to push-off the need for a disaster aid package for those effected by the wildfires and hurricanes this past year. The House’s bill would almost double the amount requested by the Trump Administration, drawing criticism from both parties. In the beginning weeks of 2018, the House and Senate will be working on finalizing FY18 funding levels and passing a disaster relief bill.