Federal Policy Update

FY’25 Appropriations

Negotiations on top line spending for FY’25 has been delayed due to reconciliation talks. Hill sources are stating that no action is expected until after the inauguration. This delay will have appropriators scrambling to reach an agreement before the current Continuing Resolution expires on March 14.  

Reconciliation

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise stated that leadership may need several more weeks to agree on a game plan. GOP leaders have been working on ways to quickly advance Trump’s agenda with the narrow republican majority and a united democratic opposition. There is a concern that the longer it takes to work out a plan, the greater the risk they could lose political support.   

House leaders say that a one bill approach would build maximum support, even if some members oppose various pieces of the package. They also say there is scant history of Congress being able to pass two reconciliation bills in a single year, though advocates of the two-bill strategy argue a slimmer, border- and security-focused measure could pass quickly. Senate leaders say the GOP would be better off passing a more narrowly tailored bill focused on border security to advance Trump’s agenda early in the session. 

Transition of Power

On January 6, Congress made Donald Trump’s Electoral College victory official. No democratic lawmakers rose to challenge any state’s electoral results during the joint session of the Senate and House, meaning the president-elect and Vice President-elect JD Vance are set to be sworn in on Jan. 20. “The whole number of the electors  . . .  is 538. Within that whole number, the majority is 270. The totals for President of the United States are as follows: Donald J. Trump of the state of Florida received 312 votes,” Vice President Kamala Harris, announced in her constitutional role as Senate President. 

National Day of Mourning

President Biden declared Thursday, January 9 a national day of mourning for President Carter, the same day of his state funeral. Jimmy Carter served as the 39th president of the United States, from 1977-1981, and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his work to advance democracy and human rights, to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, and to promote economic and social development.