Senate appropriations negotiators are close to a deal on a Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the federal government from the beginning of Fiscal Year 2017 on October 1 through December 9, allowing Members of Congress to return to the campaign trail.
As lawmakers continued discussions Monday, they postponed a procedural vote on the measure, from Monday evening until Tuesday afternoon at 2:15. Remaining details to be worked out include usage language related to $1.1 billion in new funding to fight the Zika virus, as well as a provision that would block the Securities and Exchange Commission from requiring that public companies report their political activities.
One additional obstacle to finalizing the deal is an effort by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) to prevent the Department of Commerce from transferring its authority over the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the group that oversees domain names on the internet, to the international community on October 1. While Cruz maintains a strong stance on the issue, he has stopped short of saying he will prevent a vote on the CR over the matter.
Congress is hoping to wrap work on the CR and adjourn for the election season by early next week.
Sources: The Hill, The Washington Post
