On September 13, Congress passed the first FY 2019 spending package which covers Military Construction – Veterans Affairs, Energy and Water, and Legislative Branch appropriations (HR 5895) and sent it to President Trump before the September 30 deadline.
The bill includes $44.64 billion for Energy and Water, a $1.44 billion increase over FY 2018. Most environmental riders that were included in the original House bill have been cut out of the final version. However, the bill does include a rider restricting the use of regulations under the Clean Water Act in some agricultural areas, including farm ponds and irrigation ditches.
On Thursday, negotiators from both parties met to hammer out a deal on HR 6147, another minibus, which includes Interior - Environment appropriations, but there are still several sticking points. Senate Appropriations Chair Richard Shelby (R-AL) says there is still hope for a deal by month’s end.
Meanwhile, on September 13, House Appropriations Committee Chair Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ), also announced that appropriators have cut a deal to keep all the government funded through at least December 7 (Bloomberg Government, 9/13/18).
