08 September 2017 President signs debt ceiling-CR-hurricane relief bill On September 8, 2017, the President signed H.R. 601, extending both government funding and the federal debt limit through December 8, and authorizing $15.25 billion in initial hurricane relief funding. The House voted earlier that day (316-90) to pass the bill. All 90 votes against the bill were Republicans who largely objected to raising the debt limit without commensurate spending cuts. Twenty-seven members did not vote. The Senate passed the bill on September 7 by 80-17. The hurricane relief funding incorporated the $7.85 billion ($7.4 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and $450 million for the Small Business Administration) previously approved by the House with an additional $7.4 billion in grants for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, for expenses related to disaster relief and restoration of infrastructure and housing. The bill (attached) also would reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program, which is set to expire on September 30, for the duration of the continuing resolution (CR), i.e. until December 8. The bill reflects an agreement struck between President Trump, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to package the debt ceiling, government funding and hurricane relief together for three months. The bill creates a new slate of deadlines in December, when Republicans hoped to be wrapping up tax reform legislation. December 8 may not be a hard and fast deadline for the debt limit, with Treasury expected to be able to use "extraordinary measures" to meet obligations beyond then. Democratic leaders stated that as part of year-end "must do" legislation, they want to address the status of beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and legislation stabilizing Affordable Care Act insurance exchanges.
Document ID: 2017-1452 | |||||
