Oct 1, 2015

By: Steven Harris, Director, Policy Development and Regulatory Compliance, Food Marketing Institute
GR Update

Welcome to Fiscal Year 2016.  Congress averted a shutdown yesterday.  Let’s hope I won’t need to write an updated post in two months.

Last Friday, September 25, House Speaker John Boehner surprised the country when he announced he will be retiring his speakership and congressional seat at the end of October.  Speaker Boehner’s resignation will shake up the House Republican leadership; the leadership elections will be held next week on October 8.

While few things are ever certain in Washington, Speaker Boehner's resignation removed most of the uncertainty surrounding a potential government shutdown, which was confirmed yesterday. On Monday evening, the continuing resolution (CR) cleared a procedural vote in the Senate and was adopted in a 78-20 vote on the morning of Wednesday, September 30.

Shortly thereafter, the Rules Committee approved a rule to allow for quick consideration of the CR on the House floor and an additional resolution to appease lawmakers targeting the funding of Planned Parenthood. A few minutes before the clock struck 5:00 p.m. in Washington, the House chamber passed the CR in a 277-151 vote  (for the policy junkies out there, technically, the House passage was approving the question of “Concurring in the Senate Amendment to the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment.”).  I can assure you that policy procedures are great for dinner party conversation topics.

It’s easy to focus on the inefficiencies of Washington, but when Congress has the will to act quickly, they can usually find a way.  President Obama signed the measure later in the evening, and the threat of a government shutdown was gone, for now.  The approved continuing resolution funds government agencies through December 11, 2015, after which Congress will need to act again to prevent a lapse in appropriations.  To complicate matters, the U.S. will likely reach its debt limit at around this time, raising the stakes even more.

Yes, another shutdown was avoided, but the threat of one caused unnecessary confusion for businesses and consumers.  We hope Congress can find common ground and pass a long-term spending measure to avoid the need for a repeat of this exercise in just two short months.