By: CAGTC Staff

On September 25, both chambers of Congress passed a stopgap continuing resolution (CR) to extend fiscal year 2024 (FY24) funding through December 20, avoiding a government shutdown that otherwise would have begun on October 1. The measure, which passed the House by a 341-82 vote and the Senate by a 78-18 vote, was signed by President Biden on September 27.

In the days leading up to the FY25 appropriations deadline, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) intended to hold a floor vote on a CR that would fund the government through March 2025. However, the CR incorporated a separate bill mandating that all states require proof of U.S. citizenship for voter registration purposes, making the measure unpopular among Democrats. Republican support was also insufficient due to a handful of GOP members who regularly oppose short-term funding proposals and others who were advocating for a larger defense budget.

To ensure the measure would receive adequate bipartisan support to pass both chambers, lawmakers removed the contentious provisions previously under negotiation. While the bill primarily extends existing spending laws, Congress did provide new funding for essential air services and social welfare programs.

Congress’ common tactic of enacting a continuing resolution effectively prevents a government shutdown but significantly limits government activities. Under the CR, federal agencies are prohibited from using funds to initiate new programs and activities. Additionally, federal agencies are unable to make final decisions on competitive grant programs, unless the funding opportunity receives advance appropriations from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). Among others, the following U.S. Department of Transportation competitive grant programs can move forward under the CR since they received advanced appropriations FY25 funding from the BIL:

• The Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program, which received $1.5 billion in FY25;
• The Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program, which received $1 billion in FY25;
• The National Infrastructure Project Assistance (Mega) program, which received $1 billion in FY25;
• The Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP), which received $450 million; and
• The Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight & Highway Projects (INFRA) program, which received $1.5 billion in FY25.

Now that lawmakers have secured additional time to pass FY25 appropriations, they will resume efforts to advance the 12 appropriations bills required to fund all government activities and programs. Both the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations approved their respective Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) appropriations bill for FY25 in July. The Senate bill was approved by a 28-1 vote and would provide USDOT with $110 billion in total budgetary resources, including $28.5 billion in discretionary funding. Meanwhile, the House bill was approved by a 31-26 vote and provides USDOT with $106.7 billion in total budgetary resources, including $25.1 billion in discretionary funding.

In a press release about the CR, Senate Committee on Appropriations Chair Murray (D-WA) shared that she would be working with her colleagues to pass a full appropriations package by the end of the year. Congress will be out of session throughout October as members return to the campaign trail for the November 2024 elections. There will not be any developments on a full appropriations package until Members of Congress return to Washington, D.C. on November 12. Should Congress be unable to resolve their differences by December 20, legislators must enact an additional continuing resolution to circumvent a government shutdown.

The Coalition for America's Gateways & Trade Corridors, in coordination with numerous other industry stakeholders, sent a letter to Congress on September 12 urging legislators to prioritize funding to the Department of Transportation’s Emergency Relief Program (ERP) to replace the Francis Scott Key Bridge and other critical national assets impacted by unforeseen disasters.

Read the letter here.

The Board of Directors of the Eno Center for Transportation announced the appointment of Patrick McKenna as President and Chief Executive Officer.  

McKenna, who is succeeding Robert Puentes, will assume his new role on October 7, 2024. McKenna currently serves as the Director of the State of Missouri Department of Transportation. During his nine-year tenure with MoDOT, he has led a complex enterprise of 5,100 employees to transform decades of deferred maintenance for the nation’s 7th largest transportation network.  

Prior to serving as MoDOT director, McKenna served as the Deputy Commissioner for the NHDOT and Chief Financial Officer at the United States Senate, Office of the Secretary. 

McKenna’s passion for servant leadership inspired him to serve in volunteer roles at AASHTO, culminating in the honor of being selected as President. He currently serves as the National Safety Committee chair.  McKenna has also served on the executive committee of TRB and currently is the chair of the NCHRP 20-24 committee, along with the national strategic vision project.  

Read the full release here.