DEBATE TO BEGIN TODAY ON SENATE E&W BILL

The Senate will formally restart the Fiscal Year 2012 appropriations process today, beginning debate on the Energy and Water Appropriations Act in the hope of wrapping up work on the bill before Thanksgiving. The bill will be combined with State Department/Foreign Operations and Financial Services spending legislation in a three-bill ‘minibus,’ and it represents the first action on the legislation since the Senate Appropriations Committee cleared its version of the bill in September. The completion of work on the ‘minibus’ would then allow the House and Senate to begin conference negotiations on the bill. However, because Congress won’t complete its appropriations work by the Nov. 18 expiration of the current Continuing Resolution, lawmakers are expected to pass a second stopgap funding measure to continue to fund NNSA/DOE.