Congressional appropriators are making headway on fiscal year 2010 spending bills, raising hopes that a few of the 12 annual funding measures may be wrapped up before fiscal 2010 starts on Oct. 1. That would be a welcome change from the past few years, when stopgap “continuing resolutions” were the norm. In results so far, the big construction program winner is Environmental Protection Agency water infrastructure, which is heading for a major boost. In the transportation sector, small increases seem likely, except for the high-speed rail area, which could rise sharply.
The House has approved all 12 of the appropriations measures for 2010, each of which funds a group of federal agencies. The Senate has passed four, and its Appropriations Committee cleared seven of the remaining eight.