The Senate is expected to advance a short-term continuing resolution (CR) on Thursday, Sept. 29, funding the government through Dec. 16. The stopgap spending bill will then go to the House where it is expected to pass without Republican support just ahead of the Sept. 30 deadline, avoiding a government shutdown. Senators were able to move forward the CR after Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) announced on Tuesday that he would remove his permitting reform legislation after it garnered little support from Republicans and some opposition from Democrats.

Attached to the CR is $12 billion in emergency aid for Ukraine, $1 billion in heating assistance for low-income families, $20 million to help address the water crisis in Jackson, MS, more than $112 million for federal court security and billions of dollars in other disaster aid. The measure also allows FEMA to spend at a higher rate to respond to natural disasters in the short term, including the catastrophic flooding and power outages caused by Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico. It includes extra funding and flexibility for resettling Afghan refugees and a five-year reauthorization of the FDA’s user fee programs. It does not include any additional funding to address emerging coronavirus or monkeypox needs, despite the Biden administration’s request for emergency money. Read more here.