Congress cleared a 10-week continuing resolution Sept. 28 that will generally fund the federal government at current levels through Dec. 9, leaving final decisions about fiscal year 2017 appropriations until after the November elections.
The stopgap funding measure, H.R. 5325, cleared the Senate by a 72-25 vote; the House followed by voting 342-85 to pass the legislation. President Obama immediately signed the bill Sept. 29, ensuring that continued funding would be in place on Oct. 1, the beginning of the new fiscal year.
The final compromise version of the bill, in addition to continuing funding for the government, includes $500 million in flood relief for Louisiana and other states affected by recent storms and emergency funding of $1.1 billion to fight the Zika virus. The bill also includes full-year funding for military construction and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The bill had been stalled earlier by the insistence of Senate Democrats that the legislation include funding for Flint, Michigan, to address the city’s contaminated water system. A compromise was reached to provide funding for Flint in water resources legislation to be considered before the end of the year.