DECEMBER’S LOOSE ENDS “Minimal,” “narrow,” “skinny” and “clean.” That’s how House GOP leaders described their goals for negotiating the bipartisan stopgap funding patch they struck over the weekend to keep the government funded through Dec. 20. For the most part, mission accomplished. That should help the bill clear Congress, but it pushes off some major partisan disputes. Assuming the House and Senate pass the compromise bill before a shutdown hits on Oct. 1, federal departments will be in budgetary survival mode until at least the late-December deadline — if not longer. Most of the agencies that wanted billions of dollars in extra cash under this patch didn’t get it, and all the major funding battles will likely get punted into the lame-duck session, swayed by whatever power shifts Election Day delivers. Here’s what we expect for five fights ahead: Toplines: The overall spending limits for fiscal 2025 set by last summer’s debt limit deal are strict, and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have already discussed the merits of blowing past those caps, in order to ensure federal agencies don’t suffer due to the tiny funding boost allowed by law. A number of Republicans are sure to push for adhering to those budget limits, which would eschew tens of billions of additional dollars both parties agreed would fall outside those caps. The White House and Hill Democrats see that additional money as non-negotiable, while there’s also some bipartisan chatter about the possibility of tacking on even more emergency cash. No matter what happens, Democrats will insist that defense and non-defense programs receive an equal increase, whether it’s the 1 percent hike allowed by law or higher. Disaster aid: The continuing resolution refills the nation’s disaster relief fund with the same total negotiated for the fiscal year we’re in and gives FEMA the power to spend it as needed. Problem is, that roughly $20 billion wasn’t enough last time, even though Congress added $16 billion in emergency funding last September. And it’s not expected to come close to the total needed for the upcoming fiscal year either. Right now, FEMA is in a disaster-aid deficit, since Congress is still sitting on multi-billion-dollar emergency requests to boost the relief fund, including one from last fall and another over the summer. In recent weeks, FEMA has had to pause some work that’s not considered “life sustaining,” like rebuilding in Maui after last summer’s wildfires. So some of the relief fund’s refill will need to be used to cover that delayed work. Veterans shortfall: The White House had asked for $12 billion to help the Department of Veterans Affairs navigate a major fiscal 2025 budget shortfall. But the administration isn’t getting it in this stopgap, leaving another big problem for Congress to tackle during the lame duck, with veterans’ health services at stake. The $12 billion the White House requested is considered mandatory funding, and there are sure to be fights about how to classify that cash. It also wouldn’t be shocking for Republicans — leery of handing over more money to an agency that they believe mismanaged itself into a budget hole — to demand that Congress offset that cash elsewhere. IRS rescissions: Congress already clawed back $21.4 billion in IRS funding after last year’s debt limit deal prescribed rescissions. But House Republicans are persistently trying to rescind more of the $80 billion infusion the tax-collection agency received under Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act. At the same time, IRS officials complain that they’re having to tap the IRA money, which was supposed to pay for an overhaul of the agency, to help cover ordinary, daily expenses because annual funding for the IRS hasn’t kept up with inflation. Social Security Administration cash: The White House has asked for more than $15 billion to help the agency cope with staffing and customer service issues. But House Republicans have already sought to cut hundreds of millions of dollars from the Social Security Administration’s budget for the fiscal year that begins on Oct. 1, arguing that the agency is abusing remote work policies and exacerbating a customer service crisis. Democrats and administration officials say the agency is struggling with its lowest staffing levels in 50 years, and that Americans seeking assistance with their benefits aren’t getting responses in a timely fashion. — Jennifer Scholtes and Caitlin Emma, with help from Brian Faler. GOOD EVENING! Welcome to Inside Congress, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Monday, Sept. 23. It’s officially fall, and we’re still gaming out which D.C.-area pumpkin patches we’d like to sweat at in the coming weeks.
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