Mike Nartker
WC Monitor
9/19/2014
Congress late this week completed work on a stop-gap measure intended to continue to fund the federal government at the start of Fiscal Year 2015 in the absence of completed individual spending bills. The Continuing Resolution will fund most Department of Energy and National Nuclear Security Administration programs at annualized Fiscal Year 2014 levels through Dec. 11. The bill also includes provisions intended to help address funding needs at the Portsmouth D&D project and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.
The CR is necessary due to Congress’ failure to complete individual appropriations bills prior to the start of FY 2015, including the bill that funds DOE. Under the CR, DOE’s Office of Environmental Management would largely be funded at a total of approximately $5.830 billion on an annualized basis. That’s about $200 million more than EM’s budget request for next fiscal year, which is approximately $5.6 billion.
CR ‘Bridge’ to Omnibus Appropriations Bill, Senator Says
Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) said late this week that she views the CR as laying “the groundwork” for an omnibus appropriations bill for the remainder of FY 2015 once Congress returns for a lame-duck session following the November elections. “I see this CR as a bridge to an omnibus. It sets the stage for Congress to come together after the election to do an omnibus funding bill for fiscal year 2015,” Mikulski said in a statement. “We held 60 hearings in six weeks and had all 12 of our bills ready to go to the floor. If we don’t pass an omnibus in December, we lose the chance to get value for the taxpayer dollar. Every one of the Appropriations Subcommittee chairs and ranking members made reforms to toughen oversight and eliminate waste. We don’t want to waste the work of the Committee. Instead, tonight’s vote should empower the Appropriators to start negotiating the Omnibus.”
