Federal Updates

Before leaving DC on September 27, Congress focused on bills that reinforce party messaging, which they believe will resonate with their base, while avoiding issues that could alienate their voters and put their candidates in contentious positions.

The outlook is uncertain for closing out the FY24 appropriations process with a bipartisan deal by January 19 and February 2, when current funding measures expire. Here’s why.

Yet again, in a few short weeks, Congress will face the same choice it faces every year: fund the government, shut down the government, or kick the can down the road. Despite efforts to avoid this choice with a legislative process and significant planning, every October 1 when the new fiscal year starts Congress ends up in this same place.

The red wave never materialized on November 8. It looks like the House will be controlled by Republicans, but by the slimmest majority. The Senate will stay in Democratic control. While vote counting continues due to so many mail-in ballots in the West, Congress is back in session this week. They need to complete the appropriations process (likely in an omnibus package that will have lots of legislative measures tacked on) and the National Defense Authorization Act, among other issues. The 118th Congress will be sworn in on January 3, 2023 and the G2G team is planning to attend many of the swearing in events in Washington. See details on election results and what it means for 2023.

November 8 is just weeks away and all the focus is on some key House and Senate races that will determine who controls the chambers in 2023. While most presume the House will flip to Republican control, the Senate is still a question mark. Before Congress recessed for the final stretch of the campaign cycle, it did pass a Continuing Resolution to keep the government running until December 14. It also passed the much-anticipated reauthorization of the SBIR program that funds grants for small business innovation, the FDA user fees reauthorization legislation, and what was considered a surprise bill called the Inflation Reduction Act that covered items ranging from climate change to drug pricing to tax policy. When they return on November 14, they will need to develop an omnibus appropriations bill as well as a compromise ARPA-H authorization bill, Cures 2.0, and the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), among others.

With the Senate returning right after Labor Day and the House returning a week later on September 13, Congress is gearing up for a frenzied three weeks of legislative activity before recessing for the month of October through election day on November 8. While there is lots to watch for, five items rise to the top of the list. See these and other quick highlights of what is happening within FY23 Appropriations, Health, Defense and Economic Development in this month’s report. We also share some upcoming events, such as our What’s Happening in Washington with the experts on September 7, our MHSRS Report following the September 12-15 conference on military bioscience innovation, and our Nonprofit Advocacy Planning Webinar on October 5.