FISCAL YEAR 2012 APPROPRIATIONS & RELATED MATTERS

The Senate took the lead this week towards completing the FY2012 spending bills for the fiscal year that began on October 1st. In what may be the first in a series of small spending packages, the Senate is considering a "minibus" containing the text of its Agriculture, Commerce-Justice Science and Transportation-HUD measures. 

 

Before a final vote on this package, the Senate will need to dispense with a number of contentious amendments offered by fiscal conservatives that would either attempt to cut spending in the bill or add partisan policy riders. The amendments will likely slow the process, even though the current temporary/stop-gap spending measure (CR) Congress passed will expire on November 18th and few legislative days remain between now and then.

 

It also remains to be seen how other possible minibuses will be grouped. We believe that the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill is a likely candidate for the next round, but the oft-contentious Labor-HHS-Education bill is not.

 

Throughout the year, we have pressed Congress and the Administration to do no harm to a number of domestic programs and initiatives that serve or support social services priorities, including those that could be negatively impacted by Federal funding cuts and tax code reforms that have been under consideration. In this regard, we have met with champions in Congress, key contacts in a number of Executive Branch agencies, and senior domestic policy officials in the White House.