Blog
Get to Know FY 23 Appropriations Update
| The end of the fiscal year is quickly approaching but Congress has yet to reach an agreement to fund the government. Read on to learn more about the status of the continuing resolution. |
| Community health centers receive a portion of their funding, known as discretionary funding, through the annual appropriations process. Most recently, health centers received $1.7B in discretionary funding in the omnibus spending package passed earlier this year. Congress failed to pass the twelve FY23 appropriations bills, including appropriations for health centers prior to leaving for the August recess. |
| What is the status of FY23 appropriations? |
| Congress is scrambling to come to an agreement on a short-term continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government funded before the September 30 deadline marking the end of the fiscal year. Disagreements over permitting legislation in both chambers of Congress have slowed the process of passing a stop-gap spending measure, although the Senate is expected to act on a CR first. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) wants to add a bill to expedite the permitting process for energy projects to the CR. Although the text of Senator Manchin's bill is expected to be released sometime today, the bill has already raised opposition within both parties.1 Senator Shelly Moore Capito (R-WV) already released her own permitting bill last week, but it's unclear whether it will also have the support needed to pass.2 The Senate is expected to vote on the CR, incorporating Senator Manchin's bill next week. On the House side, many Democrats have also expressed opposition to Senator Manchin's bill.3 The House will likely wait to see what version of the CR passes the Senate next week before taking any action. In addition to permitting legislation, the Biden administration is requesting $47B in emergency supplemental funding to support Ukraine and respond to Monkeypox and COVID-19, and states affected by natural disasters.4 Republicans and Democrats also disagree over how much emergency supplemental funding, if any should be attached to the CR, with many Republicans advocating for a clean CR. |
| What comes next for health center appropriations? |
| Congress will be in session for the remainder of this week, although the Senate and House will both be out of session early next week. Upon its return, Congress will only have few days to pass a CR. If Congress passes a CR, the government will continue to be funded at current levels until Congress can craft a more comprehensive spending package. Regardless of what is included in the CR, it is likely to extend government funding through at least mid-December. The mid-term elections in November are expected to shift composition of the House, which makes it unlikely that Congress will tackle a more comprehensive spending package before new members take office. |
| [1] Manchin: Energy permitting bill to be ready Wednesday - Roll Call. (2022). Retrieved from https://rollcall.com/2022/09/20/manchin-energy-permitting-bill-to-be-ready-wednesday/ |
| [2] Ibid. |
| [3] Ibid. |
| [4] White House $47B supplemental request seeks COVID, Ukraine funding - Roll Call. (2022). Retrieved from https://rollcall.com/2022/09/02/white-house-47b-supplemental-request-seeks-covid-ukraine-funding/ |