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Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Continuing the Continuing Resolution
CQ.com ($) reports that the House has passed an extension of the stopgap funding measure known as the FY 2007 continuing resolution. The current continuing resolution was set to expire this Friday. Hence, the swift action from the House.
The House-passed version of the extension will expire on December 8th. It sets appropriations at the same levels that the resolution it extended did; that is, the lowest of the levels set in either the Senate-passed version, House-passed version or last year's appropriations bills. In any event, if you take inflation and population growth into account, extending this CR means that human needs programs are being cut.
The Senate is expected to pass a similar extension of the continuing resolution today or tomorrow. It will then go to the President for his signature. When Congress returns in December, they will attempt to wrap up work on the FY2007 budget, or pass a long-term extension of the CR until the next Congress. Regardless of what happens, there's a strong possibility that Congress will make deep cuts to social needs programs.
UPDATE: The Senate has passed H. J. Res 100 this evening to continue funding federal programs through December 8. The bill will now go to the president for his signature.
Posted by Matt Lewis
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