President Signs Continuing Resolution to Fund the Federal Government through December 20

Last week, Congress agreed to extend Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 funding levels until December 20, extending the deadline to pass FY 2020 appropriations until just before the Christmas holiday. The House has passed 10 out of 12 FY 2020 appropriations bills, while the Senate has passed four. The Senate sought to pass another four-bill package in late October, but wasn’t able to garner enough support to debate the package. President Trump’s request for a $9 billion border wall remains the top concern among Congressional negotiators.
 
Democratic House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have indicated that they both still hope to pass FY 2020 appropriations this year. Democratic House Appropriations Chairwoman Nita Lowey and Republican Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby previously discussed extending the deadline into January or beyond to take Congress through the holidays, but Congressional leaders decided upon a shorter measure in order to keep the pressure on Congress to pass full-year appropriations bills.
 
ASME will continue to monitor and report on the status of Federal appropriations.