As the Jan. 19 expiration of the current Continuing Resolution (CR) approaches, Congress is scrambling to pass another temporary measure to keep the government funded. The likely time frame is another month of funding through Feb 19.

Addressing immigration, and especially DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), which must be addressed before March 5, has been top of mind for both parties. A deal was announced late last week, but just hours later, in a meeting of top Congressional negotiators, Pres. Trump allegedly used a disparaging and profane term for African nations and backed away from the bipartisan agreement offered by Sen. Durbin (D-IL) and Sen. Graham (R-SC).

Sen. Graham, Sen. Durbin and others continue to try and get negotiations back on track, but it’s likely that a CR that doesn’t include the immigration fix will be in the offering. Other “sweeteners” to encourage Democratic votes include a six-year reauthorization of the Children's Health Insurance Program; a five-year suspension of the medical device excise tax and one-year suspension of a fee on health insurance providers, both of which were reinstated as of Jan. 1; and a further one-year delay of the so-called Cadillac tax, or excise tax on high-cost employer-sponsored health insurance plans, currently scheduled to take effect in 2020.