Congress clears bipartisan government funding bill

Common Ground profiles members of opposing parties who are working together to advance issues important to hoteliers

by SEAN GROSSNICKLE

THE ISSUE
The federal budgeting and appropriations process is a yearly staple of politics in Washington, D.C. While Congress maintains “the power of the purse,” the budget formation process begins in the Executive Branch, where the White House Office of Management and Budget works with federal agencies to structure their budgets based on their needs and the current administration’s priorities. Once settled, the president submits a budget request to Congress. The House of Representatives and Senate then go through their respective appropriations committees, where they produce the appropriations bills. Once approved, the bills go to the House and Senate floors to be further amended, debated, and reconciled.

In recent years, Congress has careened toward the funding deadlines. Setting and approving the budget for FY 2022 was no different. Congress avoided a government shutdown for more than five months using stopgap measures that kept the federal government functioning under the previous fiscal year’s funding levels. The effects of a government shutdown during crises at home and abroad could have had lasting impacts on the nation’s budding economic recovery.

COMMON GROUND
In early March, Congress rallied to approve the Omnibus Appropriations Package for Fiscal 2022, an amended version of H.R. 2471. After many months of frenzied negotiations, members of Congress in both chambers found a patch of common ground. The House passed the spending package with a 260-to-171 vote, clearing the way for a 68-to-31 vote in the Senate. President Biden signed the legislation on March 15. The appropriations package allocates $1.5 trillion to fund the federal government through Sept. 30, 2022.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-12)
“The agreement will execute the framework for FY2022 negotiated by Chairs DeLauro and Leahy, and we thank them for their tireless leadership. We thank President Biden for his bold vision and all the members of the Appropriations Committee and the Republican leadership for working together on this historic legislation.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
“After months of bicameral, bipartisan debate, and committee work, the United States Senate has passed a government funding bill containing significant achievements for the people of Kentucky. While neither side sees this legislation as perfect, it is the exact type of compromise bill the Senate was designed to consider.”