So Close…

House and Senate negotiators left town on Thursday without closing the deal for the next Appropriations minibus that includes FY 19 funding for EPA.  HR 6147 would provide funding for four principal Federal Agencies – the Departments of Agriculture, Transportation-HUD, Financial Services, and Interior-Environment.

Across the funding measures included in the minibus, there are numerous policy riders that appear to be unresolved.  Conferees expect to continue their work after next week’s Yom Kippur observance and are still hopeful that they will reach agreement and send the measure forward before the end of the Federal fiscal year on September 30.  Should that not happen, Congressional leaders have already put a “Plan B” into place with the addition of language in a separate bill to fund the government through a Continuing Resolution from October 1 to December 7, 2018.