Overview
Programming Note: Due to Congressional recess, the Topline will be taking a break next week and will be back in your inbox on Friday, March 28th.
Wheels up: Good news for all the scheduled CODELS! The continuing resolution (CR) is all but finished. This week, all eyes have been on government funding. Typical of this kind of brinkmanship, there has been a lot of drama. Today, however, we fully expect the CR to pass the Senate and be signed into law by midnight. Now the Senate can enjoy a well-deserved week off – the first since Christmas!
This was a week of suspense. On Tuesday, the House passed a six-month CR along mostly party lines. This was no small feat for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who managed to convince several Republicans to vote yes despite never having voted in favor of a CR previously. In the end, he only lost a single GOP vote on the floor and gained one Democrat. After a few days of considering options with his colleagues, Senate Minority Leader Schumer urged the Democratic caucus to vote in favor of the CR – first expressing his views at the party’s weekly lunch and then later on the Senate floor.
FY25 Rescissions: In order to give Congress input on the DOGE recommendations and to codify the proposed cuts and reforms, OMB is currently working on a list of rescission recommendations to send to Congress. Once legislation is drafted, it must pass both chambers by a majority vote. Recall from last week’s newsletter, a rescission bill is a privileged resolution in the House and is not subject to the Senate filibuster.
FY25 Disaster Relief: Recently Governor Gavin Newsom made stops on Capitol Hill and at the White House requesting $40 billion for the California wildfires. OMB is currently working through the proposal and will submit it to Congress when finalized. We will also likely see additional disaster items make the list, creating a larger emergency supplemental bill for appropriators to draft this spring or summer.
Hello FY26: House and Senate Appropriations hearings have already begun in anticipation of the President's budget request, which will be released in late April or early May. Since this is a late start for FY26, we expect committee markups will begin very quickly after the budget is released. If member appropriations portals haven’t opened yet, they will soon. And, we hear committee guidance will be forthcoming after the recess. Don’t rest! Things will move quickly once Congress returns, as we will be roughly six weeks away from the first markup.
Shameless Plug: Whether clients are seeking to insulate priorities, change current federal policy at the agency level, or obtain funding for local initiatives, our team is well-versed in the budget and appropriations processes and can assist in educating key appropriators on programs of importance.
