Congress Pushes Up Against Another Spending Deadline
Facing a March 23 deadline, Congressional leaders are nearing agreement on a $1.3 trillion spending bill to fund the government until September. The omnibus funding legislation was expected late last week, but last-minute negotiations on policy riders such as funding a border wall, inclusion of a multibillion-dollar Gateway rail project in the New York metro region, and other contentious issues delayed the timeline. While a one-day Continuing Resolution may be necessary, Congressional leaders are looking to pass the omnibus bill by the Friday deadline. At one point in the negotiations, the Cole-Bishop bill, otherwise known as the FDA Deeming Authority Clarification Act, was under consideration as a rider, but we don’t currently believe the bill contains the provision. Last week, CDA weighed in directly with House and Senate leadership about the importance and timeliness of the provision. We will continue to push for passage of the Cole-Bishop bill.