There have been several developments since yesterday.
The House today will continue consideration of an 8-bill “minibus”, with another 224 amendments related to the remaining four divisions: Interior Environment; Commerce, Justice Science; Financial Services; and Labor/HHS.
With respect to the Agriculture portion considered yesterday, the House did approve by voice vote the two amendments I told you about previously – one from Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) to prohibit USDA from using funds to implement the Paid Lunch Equity provision in the National School Lunch Act, and the second from Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D-WI) to prohibits funds from being provided to entities that contravene 42 USC 1758 (b) (10) or 7 CFR 245.8, barring recipients of federal aid from having policies that overtly identify or stigmatize certain potential recipients of school meal subsidies.
But while the House was taking this action yesterday, President Trump agreed to an extension of the debt limit and a Continuing Resolution (CR) through “mid-December”. This creates a buffer period for further work on a longer term debt limit extension, for further consideration of the regular appropriation bills (including the House-adopted amendments), and provides immediate supplemental assistance for dealing with response to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
Last night the text and summary of the Senate amendment to the House-passed disaster supplemental appropriations bill were posted on the Senate Appropriations Committee’s website. The extension of the debt limit and the CR will run through December 8. The CR traditionally funds programs at the current fiscal year level and subject to the same conditions. This CR, as have past CRs, include certain “anomalies” that are modifications to the current year’s levels in order to maintain services at current service levels, even if higher funding is needed. There are two anomalies of interest to ACDA. First, section 111 of the bill maintains program levels for entitlement programs funded in FY 2017, and for activities under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2018, meaning school meals and SNAP. The second, Section 116, provides CSFP funding at the higher requested level of $238,120,000.
The Senate is now expected to complete action on this amendment tomorrow, sending it back to the House for final approval. We will continue to keep you informed. Let me know if you have any questions.
Roger
Roger Szemraj
Principal
OFW Law
The Watergate
600 New Hampshire Avenue, NW, Suite 500
Washington, D.C. 20037
rszemraj@ofwlaw.com
Telephone: (202) 789-1212
