On September 30, hours before the start of FY2016, Congress approved the Senate amendments to H.R. 719, which would fund the federal government through December 11. The Senate approved the measure by a vote of 78-20, while the House approved the bill by a vote of 277-151.
Unlike a previous version (H.J. Res. 61) rejected by the Senate, H.R. 719 would not eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) and its affiliates. The Senate failed to advance H.J. Res. 61 because it contained a provision to defund PPFA (see The Source, 9/25/15).
In compliance with the Budget Control Act (P.L. 112-25), the measure would continue to cap FY2016 discretionary spending at $1.017 trillion; defense and nondefense spending would be capped at $523.1 billion and $493.5 billion, respectively. The legislation would allocate $74.8 billion for overseas contingency operations.
The president signed the legislation into law.
