As of the date of publication, the
Washington rumor mill is still churning. Many believe another short-term
funding extension will take the government through March 23, with a long-term
extension of the authorization for Community Health Centers embedded in the legislation.
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and overall spending caps for
defense and nondefense are still open questions. ADEA will continue to keep you
updated on this ever-changing funding battle.
Since October 2017, the government
has been funded through four short-term continuing resolutions (CR) that keep
agencies operating at FY 2017 levels. Government funding bills are considered
must-pass legislation, so they regularly provide a vehicle for other issues and
can stall if those issues are not included in measures that are sure to pass.
Although it ultimately was not addressed by the CR, the January shutdown occurred largely over
immigration and overall spending levels. This constrained funding has hurt
planning for federal agencies like FDA and NIH, which manage long-term research
and grant-making functions, by not allowing them to proceed with anticipated
new initiatives and projects.