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Congress is on Thanksgiving break, but when lawmakers return they will have just two weeks—until Dec. 7— to fund major portions of the federal government after Congress failed to approve seven out of 12 funding bills before the end of the fiscal year.
Congress passed two large appropriations bills in September providing full-year funding for many federal agencies, while others are operating under a continuing resolution. The following NTEU-represented agencies are currently operating under the CR: IRS and other Department of Treasury Offices and Bureaus, CBP and FLETC, CFTC, EPA, FCC, portions of FDA, FEC, NPS, PTO, SEC and USDA.
Several major policy and funding issues must still be resolved by Congress and the administration. President Trump on Saturday told reporters this is a "good time" for a government shutdown, before saying that he does not believe one will be necessary.
A partial shutdown could be avoided by either an omnibus appropriations bill for the remainder of fiscal year 2019, or another continuing resolution which would keep agencies funded at current levels for a period of time.
Federal employees will also have to wait to find out if they will receive a pay raise in 2019. The Senate approved a 1.9 percent increase for federal workers as part of its Financial Services and General Government appropriations bill. The House didn’t act on the raise and the issue will continue to be debated when House-Senate negotiations continue after the Thanksgiving holiday.
NTEU continues to press for adequate agency funding and a pay raise for federal employees, while also urging Congress to avoid a shutdown. And in the event of a shutdown for some agencies, NTEU will work to ensure Congress provides prompt pay for impacted employees.