FY17 Afghanistan Supplemental Request Expected
Senate Defense Appropriations Ranking Democrat Dick Durbin (D-IL) said this week that appropriators expect a supplemental military spending request for Afghanistan of at least $3B. The additional funds would provide for the 8,400 troops the administration announced that it was keeping in Afghanistan in 2017. This is up from the 5,500 troops it had initially budgeted for. Timing on the supplemental request is unclear, however, Republicans have been demanding it ever since the administration announced the increase in troops.
FY17 Continuing Resolution (CR)
Senators’ visions of an early adjournment this week were dashed when leadership was not able to cut a deal. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) originally set a cloture vote on the motion to proceed on HR 5325, the vehicle for the FY17 continuing resolution (CR) for Thursday. He had to postpone the vote until Monday Sept 19 at 5:30 pm after their negotiations failed.
The CR is expected to extend current funding levels through December 9 as well as include a full year of funding for the Military Construction-Veterans Affairs spending bill and funding to combat the Zika virus. The CR may also include emergency funding for the victims of the Louisiana floods and the Flint, MI water contamination crisis, language allowing the Export-Import Bank to function again despite the lack of a quorum, a provision blocking admission of Syrian refugees, language blocking the administration from transferring Internet governance functions from the U.S. to a global nonprofit group beginning October 1, and funding to combat the opioid epidemic.
The procedural vote could get postponed again if a bill isn’t ready by Monday. There are 14 days left until the end of the fiscal year.