House Considering an Appropriations Bundle

This week, the House Rules Committee agreed to consider packaging the eight remaining FY 18 appropriations bills and moving them as one measure.  This action, coupled with the previously passed 4-bill minibus, effectively creates an omnibus FY 18 spending package.  The eight bills represent funding for Federal Departments and Agencies including Agriculture, Commerce-Justice-Science, Financial Services, Homeland Security, Interior-Environment, Labor-HHS-Education, State-Foreign Ops, and Transportation-HUD.
It is anticipated that the new bill package would be taken up on the House Floor as soon as they return from the August recess, which is the week of September 5.  It is interesting to note, however, that appropriations funding is still contingent on passage of a budget resolution.  No discussion on that subject has been forthcoming in recent days.  As well, there does not seem to be much movement on the Senate side as they have been consumed with health care and other pressing national concerns.
At the end of the day, it is most likely that we will see a Continuing Resolution (CR) put into place to prevent a government shutdown rather than appropriated funding.  The expectation is that such a CR would likely las through the end of this calendar year.  One piece of good news about a CR is that’s it’s likely that funding for the PWSS Program and DWSRF will be maintained at current levels.