The Senate passed the Further Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2023 (H.R. 1437) by a vote of 71 - 19 on Dec. 15, following House passage of the bill by a vote of 224 - 201 on Dec. 14. This continuing resolution (CR) extends current funding levels until Dec. 23, providing Congress an additional week to finalize FY 2023 spending bills and other year-end legislative priorities before the 118th Congress begins on Jan. 3, 2023. President Joe Biden is expected to sign the CR into law just before the Dec. 16 expiration of the previous CR [refer to Washington Highlights, Sept. 30].
“This Continuing Resolution will keep the government open and functioning for an additional week, allowing us time to complete our work on FY23 appropriations bills. We are making progress under our omnibus framework, but there’s still a lot of work to be done,” Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) said in a statement following Senate passage of the CR.
Passage of the latest CR followed a Dec. 13 announcement that Senate appropriators and Democrats from the House Appropriations Committee had reached a deal on topline funding for FY 2023 spending bills. House Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) released a statement on the negotiation saying, “I am encouraged by the agreement we have reached on a framework that provides a path forward to enact an omnibus [during the week of Dec. 19].”
Following House passage of the CR, DeLauro indicated her intention to release the year-end omnibus containing all 12 FY 2023 spending bills early in the week of Dec. 19. In communication to members, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) announced that the House of Representatives would be in session for final votes on the omnibus starting at the earliest on Dec. 21, and would remain in session until the passage of an omnibus package.
Prior to the Dec. 16 CR deadline, the AAMC highlighted its year-end priorities for inclusion in the omnibus to Congress [refer to Washington Highlights, Nov. 17]. The AAMC also led coalitions in urging support of specific FY 2023 funding priorities including for the National Institutes of Health and Title VII and Title VIII funding provided under the Health Resources and Services Administration [refer to Washington Highlights, Dec. 2, Dec. 9].