Provisions to roll back telework to pre-pandemic levels and bar enforcement of Biden administration DEIA initiatives could again complicate passing a key bill for federal employee programs. Image: Joe Benning/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffWith Congress once again having temporarily extended agency spending authority mostly at fiscal 2023 levels, the focus has turned back to enacting regular appropriations bills that set detailed spending levels and policy provisions, including some potentially directly affecting federal employees.
Congress bought itself more time to work on agency budgets for the current fiscal year by extending through March 1 temporary spending authority for departments and agencies falling under four of those bills and through March 8 for those under the other eight. Much of that work would have to be done behind the scenes because the Senate plans to be in session for only four weeks through the end of February and the House only three—only two of which match up.
In neither of the two prior temporary extensions did legislators make substantial progress toward enacting any of them into law. The House has passed just seven of those bills and the Senate has passed three, and no conferences between the two have been held to resolve what in many cases are substantial differences in spending levels and policy riders.
Senate Democratic leaders have said they will not accept “poison pill” riders inserted into the House versions to date by the farthest-right House Republicans.
Provisions in the key bill for federal employee programs—the financial services/general government appropriations—that likely would meet their definition of such a rider include those to: roll back telework to pre-pandemic levels; bar enforcement of Biden administration DEIA initiatives in the federal workplace; bar coverage of gender affirming care in the FEHB program; and bar investment of TSP account money in funds that use environmental-social-governance [ESG] criteria, which the TSP has said would cause it to shut down its mutual fund window feature.
The NTEU union said that while a partial government shutdown again was avoided, “We are already more than one-quarter of the way through the 2024 fiscal year without full-year agency appropriations in place, depriving federal agencies of the additional resources they need and inhibiting long-term planning and hiring.”
Another impact of the continued delays of fiscal 2024 spending likely will be to push back the start of the budget cycle for fiscal year 2025 that starts in October. Traditionally, the White House has sent budget proposals to Capitol Hill in early February, but in prior years when final action has carried over into the following calendar year, that proposal has come a month or more later.
That in turn will give Congress even less time for that budget, especially given that it plans to be in session for just three weeks from the end of July until the week after the elections.
Congress Leaving Key Policy, Funding Decisions to the Fall
Guidance on ‘Schedule G’ Stresses Political Oversight
OPM Tells Agencies to Allow ‘Religious Expression’ in Federal Workplace
Agency RIFs, Reorganizations Starting to Take Shape
Order Formally Launches ‘Schedule Policy/Career,’ Adds Category of Appointees
Court Allows Order against Unions to Remain, but Congress Eyes Stepping In
See also,
Top 10 Provisions in the Big Beautiful Bill of Interest to Federal Employees
A Pre-RIF Checklist for Every Federal Employee, From a Federal Employment Attorney
Work Longer or Take the FERS Supplement Now: Which is Better?
Doubling Your TSP (C Fund vs G Fund)
