Lawmakers Looking to Move Delayed FY 2022 Spending Bills; Feb 18 Deadline Looms

The current continuing resolution (CR) keeping the federal government open expires on February 18. Fiscal year (FY) 2022 began on October 1, 2021 without any of the 12 annual appropriations bills having been enacted into law. Reports indicate that House and Senate leadership are gauging the possibility of finalizing the FY 2022 spending measures before the CR deadline in just a couple weeks. The most likely outcome is a sweeping omnibus appropriations bill packaging all or some of the individual bills into a single measure. However, before that can happen, leaders must reach an agreement on top-line funding levels—that is, how much the government can spend in discretionary appropriations across all 12 bills. Once the top-line number is set, final negotiations can begin in earnest. The next few weeks will be critical for determining the path forward on funding for the remainder of FY 2022. Follow COSSA’s appropriations coverage here.