Government

Spending: New Stopgap Measure Is on the Way

Another short-term spending bill has advanced in Congress. The House on March 15 passed a measure to fund federal agencies through April 8, with $6 billion in spending cuts. The vote was 271-158. The cuts include all $894 million slated for the General Services Administration construction account. Senate approval of the measure is needed by March 18, when the current stopgap expires.

Among the House bill’s $6 billion in cuts is $2.6 billion in earmarks, including the GSA construction money. The measure also trims GSA’s repairs and alterations account by $130 million but still leaves it with $284 million. Congress turned to a three-week stopgap after the Senate on March 9 rejected two measures to fund agencies through Sept. 30.

Pam Hunter McFarland was a Senior Editor of ENR and her expertise was: Sourcebooks, Environment, Labor

As ENR's former Washington Bureau Chief, Tom Ichniowski wrote about the federal government since the George H.W. Bush administration, and covered at least five major highway bills. A recognized expert on government policy on infrastructure and regulation, Tom is also a Baltimore native and Orioles fan who grew up rooting for Brooks and Frank Robinson. He is a graduate of Columbia College and Columbia’s graduate school of journalism, where he once used “unrelentless” in a headline.

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