Republican House appropriators on December 13 proposed a four-week continuing resolution (CR) that would extend funding levels for EPA and most other federal agencies through January 19. If passed the measure would avert a December 22 government shutdown when appropriations are currently scheduled to expire. But the bill, which would fully fund the Defense Department for the entirety of the 2018 fiscal year while also continuing funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), faces a tough path forward. Aside from Senate Democratic pledges to oppose any spending bill that increases defense funding without corresponding increases in domestic programs, the measure is also facing criticism for failing to include a long-promised disaster supplemental bill that would deliver aid to areas impacted by this fall’s hurricanes and wildfires. Congressional GOP leaders say they now plan to take up the disaster bill early next year.
However, it is unclear if the CR as proposed would be able to overcome a threatened filibuster and advance through the Senate. If the bill fails to attract the votes of at least eight Democrats in the upper chamber, as appears likely, appropriators would have to return to the drawing board and develop another stopgap spending bill that carries only temporary funding for DoD as well. In any case, Congress is expected to punt the final decisions on EPA’s FY18 budget into early next year.