After former President Donald Trump won the Presidential election and Republicans gained control of the Senate and House, members of the 118th Congress returned to Washington last week. Before members of the new congress take office come the new year, current members still have several issues they must address before the end of this Congress—most notably FY25 appropriations and the FY25 National Defense Authorization Act.
On November 20, the Senate passed H.R.8932, the FAFSA Deadline Act, after the House passed the bill last week. This bill, sponsored by Indiana’s Rep. Erin Houchin (R) with companion language authored by Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), requires the Department of Education to make the FAFSA available by October 1 of each year. The legislation now heads to President Biden’s desk.
FY25 Appropriations Update
With the current stopgap ending December 20, lawmakers are still sorting through FY25 appropriations in the lame-duck. Currently, the type of bill that will be used to fund the government is up for debate. On one hand, leaders like Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) are pushing for a stopgap into March, which would allow President-elect Donald Trump to influence the current fiscal year. Others, like Majority Leader Steven Scalise (R-LA) reportedly prefer a full-year appropriations bill in order to “clear the decks” for a new administration.
FY25 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)
The House and Senate Armed Services Committees are working to finalize the FY25 NDAA and bring the bill up for passage before the end of the year. Once current negotiations are completed, the final bill could be conferenced before the Thanksgiving holiday and will likely be voted on before Congress adjourns in December.