Washington — Congressional leaders unveiled a stopgap measure late Thursday to keep the government funded for three months, pushing a larger funding fight into the new year.
But the 1,500 page measure, known as a continuing resolution, would do more than keep the government funded at current levels to prevent a government shutdown. The bill is laden with dozens of add-ons that make it resemble the massive end-of-year spending packages that GOP leaders have vowed to avoid.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said ahead of the measure’s release on Tuesday that it was originally intended to be “a very simple, very clean” stopgap funding measure to get the party into the new year. But the Louisiana Republican said a “couple of intervening things” occurred, and he is now left to deal with growing discontent among members of his own party.
Here are some of the bill’s major add-ons:
Disaster funding
The legislation includes $110.4 billion in disaster aid: $29 billion for FEMA’s disaster relief fund; $8 billion for federal highways and roads; $12 billion for the Community Development Block grants and disaster relief; and $3.25 billion for Tribal Assistance grants. It also replenishes the Small Business Administration’s disaster loan program with $2.2 billion. The program was exhausted in the aftermath of Hurricanes Milton and Helene earlier this year.
The measure also includes $21 billion in disaster relief for farmers and $10 billion in economic assistance for farmers, along with a one-year extension of the farm bill.
RFK stadium transfer
The legislation clears the way for a long-sought priority in Washington, D.C.: transferring administrative jurisdiction over the RFK Memorial Stadium Campus to the district, which will allow the city to negotiate the return of the Washington Commanders football team.
The Commanders currently play in Landover, Maryland, and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has vowed to bring the team back to the District.
Baltimore bridge rebuilding
The measure also includes a commitment from the federal government to pay the entire cost of rebuilding Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed in March.
Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin of Maryland said in a joint statement Tuesday that the provision “will allow the bridge to be built as quickly as possible.” And they noted that federal taxpayers will be reimbursed by insurance payments and through the results of litigation against the company that operated the cargo ship that crashed into the bridge.
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Pay raise for members of Congress
After more than a decade of blocking pay raises in Congress amid concern over the issue becoming a political liability, the continuing resolution includes a provision that allows an automatic cost of living increase to go into effect for lawmakers.
Since 2009, lawmakers have earned $174,000 annually, with higher salaries for some members of leadership.
Health care policy extenders and reforms
Within the legislation is a health care package that spans hundreds of pages. It takes on a number of priorities for lawmakers, from extending telehealth flexibility under Medicare to a five-year reauthorization of legislation aimed at combatting the opioid crisis and a measure to prevent pandemics. The legislation also requires pharmacy benefit managers to provide detailed data on drug spending and pass on the full amount of rebates to lower drug costs for American consumers.
Transparency in ticket and hotel prices
The funding measure also includes provisions aimed at making hotel and live-event ticket prices more transparent by prohibiting deceptive advertising. The legislation requires that ticket sellers and hotels must disclose the full price, while the ticket sellers must guarantee refunds in the event of cancellation or postponement.
Addressing drone threats
Among the legislation is a measure to counter threats from drones following a slew of mysterious drone sightings on the East Coast that have prompted concern. The legislation extends a portion of the Homeland Security Act that authorizes officials to track unmanned aircrafts and disrupt their control.
contributed to this report.
