Federal Policy Update

Congress 

Tonight’s deadline to fund the government and avert a shutdown looms large as the bipartisan deal brokered earlier this week was torpedoed by President-elect Trump on Wednesday afternoon. The original deal would have continued funding at FY’24 levels until March 14 and carried forward the FY’24 terms and conditions until the same date. The package also included disaster relief funding, support for farmers, and health extenders. Since the original deal fell apart, there have been multiple efforts by republican leadership to advance new proposals, which—at the time of writing—have been unsuccessful, drawing opposition from members in both parties. 

There are a lot of moving parts going into this afternoon: the chaos throws the future of Rep. Johnson’s speakership into jeopardy, the finalization of the long-negotiated end-of-year health package is uncertain, agriculture and disaster relief funds may be dealt with separately, and Trump’s demand that that a new deal be drafted that includes raising or eliminating the debt ceiling has been opposed by democrat leadership. The deadline is indeed looming, and it’s uncertain if Congress can avoid a shutdown. NCSD has reached out to federal partners to better understand the impact a shutdown would have on our membership, and we will keep you informed as we learn more. 

The Administration 

RFK Jr. started meeting with key senators this week as part of his confirmation process to be the next Secretary of HHS. Confirmation hearings for Trump’s nominees are expected to begin early in January when Congress returns.  

Key dates: 

January 3: Members of Congress return to DC to start the 119th Congress. 

January 20: President-elect Trump is inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States.