The U.S. House of Representatives Tuesday approved a three-week stopgap funding plan to keep the federal government open through March 11 after the current continuing resolution expires on Feb. 18.
The full House voted Tuesday evening 272-to-162 to approve the short-term extension while appropriators continue to work on a spending plan to carry the government through the rest of fiscal 2022, which ends Sept. 30. Senate passage and the signature of President Joe Biden are still needed.
House Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) proposed the latest short-term extension, the Further Additional Extending Government Funding Act, largely keeping spending at fiscal 2021 levels, on Monday. The measure allows some deviations, such as providing increased funds to avoid delays in the Columbia Class Submarine program.
Like the current continuing resolution remains largely level with fiscal 2021 levels for the Department of Energy and other agencies. The National Nuclear Security Administration gets the annualized equivalent of $19.7 billion while DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy stays at $1.5 billion. The Office of Environmental Management, meanwhile, would get $7.6 billion, with a little extra included over 2021 levels for the Uranium Enrichment Decontamination and Decommissioning fund.
An online breakdown shows one House Democrat voted against the measure. Meanwhile 51 Republicans, including Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.), whose district includes the Y-12 National Security Site, voted in favor of H.R. 6617. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), whose district includes the Savannah River Site, voted against it.
The House and Senate are wrestling to address the remainder of 2022 fiscal year funding as they plan to hear President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on March 1.
