Congress Passes Continuing Resolution
On December 9, Congress passed, H.R. 2028, the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. The legislation includes a continuing resolution that keeps the government funded through April 28, 2017.
The measure allocates $1.07 trillion in discretionary funding and funds most agencies at spending rates established by the Consolidation Appropriations Act (P.L. 114-113). To date, Congress has not completed work on the following FY2017 spending bills: Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Rural Development, and Related Agencies (see The Source, 5/20/16); Defense (see The Source, 6/17/16); Financial Services and General Government (see The Source, 7/8/16); Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (see The Source, 7/15/16); Legislative Branch (see The Source, 5/20/16); State, Foreign Operations, and Related Agencies (see The Source, 7/15/16); and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (see The Source, 5/27/16). Congress cleared the FY2017 Military Construction, Veterans’ Affairs, and Related Agencies spending bill (P.L. 114-223) on September (see The Source, 9/30/16).
Among other provisions, H.R. 2028 allocates $872 million to implement new medical research initiatives and programs outlined in H.R. 34, the 21st Century Cures Act, which include identifying health disparities related to sexual and gender minorities (see The Source, 12/2/16).
In addition, the bill authorizes states to fund summer meals for low-income children while they are out of school, as well as additional funding to address the needs of unaccompanied minors who crossed the southern border of the U.S.
