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December 20, 2022

U.S. Congress Nears End Of Term With Funding Deal That Excludes Permitting

On Friday, December 16 President Joe Biden signed a short-term fiscal year 2023 funding bill into law in order to keep the federal government open through the following week. The legislation gave congressional negotiators more time to discuss the details of a longer-term spending deal. (That legislation was released publicly on December 19 and should be voted on later this week.)

The Senate approved the short-term spending bill Thursday night on a bipartisan 71-19 vote after House lawmakers voted for it the night before by a more partisan 224-201 margin. The bill freezes federal funding at current levels through December 23, 2022.

Even though a longer term spending outline for fiscal year 2023 was released this week, according to The Hill, lawmakers ultimately might have to approve another short term piece of legislation since some Republican lawmakers have been reluctant to back a larger government spending deal before the party takes control of the U.S. House of Representatives in January. Reportedly, those lawmakers have argued the party should hold out until the GOP has more leverage over what is included in the full-year spending package.

In related news: As Connecting the Dots has reported, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has been trying to pass legislation to reform permitting rules for federal energy projects for several months. Last week, his last attempt in the 117th Congress failed to garner the 60 votes needed to attach the measures as an amendment to a must-pass defense spending bill. Favoring stronger permitting reforms, most Senate Republicans opposed the measure. Despite the bad news, lawmakers on both sides have said they see a path toward a bipartisan bill to change federal permitting in 2023.

Stay tuned to Connecting the Dots as those efforts continue to develop in the new year. Click here to learn how you can contact your member of Congress to advocate for reform.

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