The government will stay open until mid-March under the latest short-term spending measure, but much of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding issuers are eagerly awaiting remains on hold without a full-year budget.
The Senate Thursday passed the new continuing resolution, which funds the government through March 11.
The 65-27 vote averted a partial government shutdown that would have begun at midnight Saturday.
The House
The CR – the third since fiscal 2022 began Oct. 1 – is meant to give Congress more time to hammer out an omnibus spending bill. Lawmakers said they’re close to a deal, though they have not yet released spending figures.
“I am pleased to report that last week the four corners of the Senate and House appropriations committees reached a framework agreement that will allow us to negotiate an omnibus appropriations bill,” Senate Appropriations Chair Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said in a statement. “This framework sets the stage for us to make significant investments in the American people and communities across our country. It will provide the biggest increase in non-defense programs in four years. Under this framework, we can direct new resources to improve health care in rural communities, expand the middle class, and protect our national security.”
Calling a full-year CR “untenable,” Leahy said the final agreement would be unveiled in the coming weeks.
Because a CR freezes spending at FY21 levels, the IIJA programs that are funded through contract authority, which includes the Highway Trust Fund, can’t be released to the states until a FY22 budget is enacted.
If lawmakers are unable to reach a deal, transportation advocates have said they will
