Congress Passes One-Week CR; Defense Bill

Today, the Senate avoided a government shutdown by passing the House-approved one-week continuing resolution keeping the government funded through Dec. 18. Despite some last-minute procedural hurdles, the CR ultimately passed hours before the midnight expiration of the current continuing resolution. The president is expected to sign the bill.

This provides Congress with another week to settle on the final language for an omnibus bill that will provide full-year funding for federal agencies. Negotiations continue on that legislation with the congressional goal of having it complete and voted on by Dec. 18 to avoid the need for another CR or even a government shutdown. On Capitol Hill, we are working to ensure adequate funding levels for federal agencies along with a fair pay raise for federal employees in 2021. NTEU will provide updates next week.

Also receiving final approval today was the defense authorization act that contains language on use-or-lose annual leave. The NTEU-supported provision allows most federal employees to carry over an additional 60 hours of leave they earned but were unable to use. This raises the cap to 300 hours, up from the usual 240 hours.

This bill has an outstanding veto threat from the White House. Should the president actually veto the bill, it could set up additional votes in the House and Senate to override the veto of what is considered “must pass” legislation.  

Next week will be a busy one on Capitol Hill. Watch NTEU’s blog, our Facebook page and your inboxes for updates.