ECA Update: September 19, 2014 - Senate Passes CR
Published: Fri, 09/19/14
Congress Staves Off Government Shutdown...for Now
Government Executive
September 18, 2014
The Senate on Thursday easily passed a short-term spending bill, clearing the way for the government to avoid a shutdown until at least mid-December.
The Senate's passage by a vote of 73-22 follows the House approving on Wednesday the $1.01 trillion stopgap measure -- which funds agencies at their current spending levels through Dec. 11. The stopgap measure will now head to President Obama, who has indicated he will sign it.
"The administration appreciates that the House bill allows critical government functions to operate without interruption and avoids a damaging government shutdown," the White House wrote in a statement of administration policy.
Federal employee advocates also expressed support for the continuing resolution, but said the short-term nature of the bill makes it difficult for agencies to carry out their missions.
"As we have seen over the past several years, a series of short-term, patchwork funding solutions are becoming the norm rather than the exception," said the Federal-Postal Coalition, an amalgamation of more than 30 federal workforce groups. "Continuing resolutions tie the hands of managers and employees alike by limiting strategic planning and restricting resources to get the job done."
In some respects, however, the CR was good news for federal workers. The stopgap bill is mum on President Obama's request to grant federal employees a 1 percent, across-the-board pay raise in 2015, effectively allowing the pay bump to go through. Congress, which is set to recess this week until after the upcoming November election, will aim to pass an omnibus appropriations bill when it returns. Lawmakers could theoretically block the pay raise at that time, though they have yet to show any interest in doing so.
The CR will extend the charter of the Export-Import Bank -- set to expire Sept. 30 -- through June 2015. Bank officials said they would not have been forced to shut their doors come Oct. 1 in the absence of congressional action, but the agency's 400 employees would have been out of a job when its portfolio reached maturity.
The Obama administration offered tepid praise for the Ex-Im provision.
"While the administration acknowledges that the bill reauthorizes the Export-Import Bank, the administration encourages the Congress to pass a long-term extension to provide certainty to job-creators that export U.S.-made products and services," the White House said.
The CR also includes a boost in funding for the Veterans Affairs Department to investigate potential impropriety in manipulating waitlist data and retaliating against whistleblowers. It would increase appropriations to reduce VA's disability claims backlog and allow Customs and Border Protection the flexibility to move funds around so it can maintain current workforce levels.
The measure avoids more controversial provisions, such as addressing the U.S. Postal Service's plan to close 82 facilities nationwide in 2015. A majority of senators and 160 House representatives wrote to their respective appropriations committees asking that any spending bill delay closures for one year.
Per Obama's direct request, the spending bill includes language authorizing the training and arming of moderate opposition against the radical Islamic group ISIS.
CR Headed to President following Senate Approval
Defense Communities 360
September 18, 2014
A continuing resolution (CR) to fund the federal government through Dec. 11 is heading to the White House for President Obama's signature, after the Senate on Thursday passed the stopgap by a 78-22 vote during a relatively uneventful session.
The fiscal 2015 spending measure also includes the president's request for authorization to arm and equip Syrian rebels to fight the Islamic State. The Senate did not, however, hold a separate vote on the language since the House already added it to the bill Wednesday as an amendment.
Still to be determined when lawmakers return to Capitol Hill following the midterm elections is how they will fund agencies for the remainder of the fiscal year. House Appropriations Chairman Harold Rogers (R-Ky.) and his Senate counterpart Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) are pushing to complete work on a 12-bill omnibus during the lame-duck session, but if Republicans gain control of the Senate in November, some members may insist on punting yearend appropriations into next year.
But even if the GOP does pick up the Senate, many senior Republicans still may prefer an omnibus to provide agencies budget certainty and wrap up appropriations before the new Congress, reported CQ.
The other likely tack would be to clear a yearlong CR in December, but senior appropriators have made it clear they oppose that option.
"While this approach might hold the line on spending in agencies and programs, a yearlong continuing resolution has proven to be terribly costly for the Department of Defense. Funding under a CR promotes budget uncertainty that makes defense planning and managing programs nearly impossible," Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.), chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, said on the House floor this week.
Dr. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, a Top White House National Security Council Official, Confirmed as Deputy Secretary of Department of Energy
DOE
September 18, 2014
WASHINGTON - Dr. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall was confirmed by the Senate on Thursday, September 18, 2014, as the Department of Energy's Deputy Secretary.
"Liz's confirmation comes at a historic time in our nation's energy evolution," said Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz. "She joins us with deep expertise in the Department's nuclear security mission, including both nuclear weapons and countering proliferation. Her extensive public service and recent responsibilities on the White House National Security team position her to contribute to the Department's energy and security missions in a major way, both domestically and internationally. I thank the Senate for their attention to Liz's nomination, and look forward to working closely with her as a key, trusted colleague."
As Deputy Secretary, Dr. Sherwood-Randall will support Secretary Moniz in the management and operation of the Department of Energy. She will have responsibility for enhancing DOE's delivery of results for the American people, including: strengthening project oversight and management; ensuring the safety, security and effectiveness of the nation's nuclear weapons and advancing the Administration's nonproliferation agenda; supporting the vital contributions of our unique national laboratory network; and promoting the Administration's "all-of-the-above" energy strategy for a low carbon future and a strong economy.
"I am deeply honored by President Obama's nomination to this new role and by the trust the Senate has placed in me by confirming me today," said Dr. Sherwood-Randall. "I am excited to have this opportunity to serve with Secretary Moniz and the multi-talented Energy Department staff, whose mission is vital to a strong economy and to our national security."
As a top advisor to President Obama for nearly six years, Dr. Sherwood-Randall served as the White House Coordinator for Defense Policy, Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction, and Arms Control for the National Security Council, from April 2013 until her Senate confirmation. From 2009 to 2013, she served as the President's principal advisor on Europe, including 49 countries and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the European Union, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Prior to her service in the current Administration, Dr. Sherwood-Randall was a senior research scholar at Stanford University from 2000 to 2008, and a founding principal in the Harvard-Stanford Preventive Defense Project from 1997-2008. She was also an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations from 2004-2008.
Dr. Sherwood-Randall served in the Clinton Administration from 1994 through 1996 as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia. Previously, she co-founded and served as the Associate Director of Harvard University's Strengthening Democratic Institutions Project. At the outset of her public service career, Dr. Sherwood-Randall was a Chief Foreign Affairs and Defense Policy Adviser to then-Senator Joseph Biden.
A native of California, she received her bachelor's degree at Harvard University, and her doctorate as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University. She is married to Dr. Jeffrey B. Randall, and they have two sons. |
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