CORRECTION: An earlier version of this post contained a broken link to House Speaker Mike Johnson’s Dear Colleague letter. The link has been fixed. We apologize for any inconvenience.
This week, the House of Representatives elected Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) as the next Speaker of the House, following weeks of uncertainty after a federal shutdown was averted by passing a short-term continuing resolution.
Of note for WSU, the new Speaker has released a suggested timeline and path forward to begin the appropriations process for FY2024 funding—several strands of this funding impact our federally funded research and services meeting the needs of our state.
Proposed potential timeline
Under the current continuing resolution in place, Congress has until November 17 to pass all appropriations bills. Speaker Johnson has suggested another stopgap continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown, if needed, and fund the government through Jan. 15 (or potentially even through April 15), while Congress works through the appropriations process.
He suggested the following calendar for appropriations on the House Floor:
- Week of October 23: Energy and Water
- Week of October 30: Legislative Branch, Interior and Environment, Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development
- Week of November 6: Financial Services and General Government, Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies
- Week of November 13: Labor/Health and Human Services, Agriculture
In addition to the funding bills listed above, the Speaker has indicated he plans to move forward on reauthorization of the Farm Bill by December and consideration of the FAA reauthorization bill – both authorizing important programs for WSU.
WSU’s Office of Federal Relations continues to monitor the fluid situation and work closely with our elected officials and their offices in Washington, D.C. to ensure minimal disruption to WSU’s work.