Congress Passes Another CR as Votes Await on Full Year Omnibus Bill – UPDATE

The House and Senate quickly passed another short-term Continuing Resolution (CR) today to keep the government operating until Tuesday, December 22.   The goal is to pass the full-year omnibus appropriations that negotiators agreed upon overnight before the new deadline passes.  [UPDATE: The President signed the CR on December 16, P.L. 114-100.]

As reported in four SpacePolicyOnline.com articles today, negotiators agreed on a bill that combines all 12 regular FY2016 appropriations bills into a single “omnibus” bill to fund the government through September 30, 2016. 

• NASA Gets Big Boost in Final FY2016 Appropriations
• NOAA’s Polar Follow On Gets Full Funding in Final FY2016 Appropriations Bill
• FAA’s Space Office Gets Partial Increase While COMSTAC Recommends Increased Scope
• McCain Lambasts Senate Appropriators for RD-180 Provision

The omnibus bill, H.R. 2029, still must pass the House and Senate and be signed into law by the President.  The $1.149 trillion funding bill meets the requirements of the budget/debt limit deal reached by Congress and the White House at the end of October, but remains controversial.  As House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) said, “in divided government, no one gets exactly what they want.”  Republican and Democratic leaders apparently believe they have enough votes to get the measure passed, however.

The CR currently keeping the government operating expires today, necessitating another short-term CR until the omnibus becomes law.