Congress has not yet voted on the 2024 budget, but it has made some progress on the appropriations bills that fund the government for the fiscal year.
The Senate has passed a three-bill “minibus” appropriations package on Nov. 1, which includes the Agriculture, Energy and Water, and Transportation and Housing and Urban Development bills1.
The package includes the following bills:
- Agriculture-FDA: This bill provides $25.8 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration, and related agencies. It supports programs such as rural development, food safety, nutrition assistance, agricultural research, and animal and plant health.
- Energy and Water Development: This bill provides $53.2 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Energy, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of Reclamation, and other agencies. It supports programs such as nuclear security, energy efficiency, renewable energy, water resources, and environmental cleanup.
- Transportation-HUD: This bill provides $71.8 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Transportation, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and related agencies. It supports programs such as highway and transit infrastructure, aviation safety, housing assistance, community development, and disaster relief.
The Senate passed the package by a vote of 89-8, with bipartisan support. The package is part of the overall 2024 budget process, which aims to fund the government for the fiscal year that began on Oct. 1.
However, the House has not yet passed the same package, and there are still nine other appropriations bills that need to be passed by both chambers before the budget is complete .
Therefore, the Senate’s passage of the package is only one step in the long and complex budget process.
The House has also restarted debate on full-year appropriations bills following the election of a new Speaker of the House2.
However, both chambers still need to reconcile their differences and pass the remaining nine appropriations bills before the current continuing resolution expires on Nov. 1723.
If they fail to do so, they will either need to pass another short-term extension or face a government shutdown.
Therefore, the exact date of when Congress will vote on the 2024 budget is uncertain, but it will likely be sometime before the end of the year.
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