5 anomalies in the continuing resolution passed Tuesday

Late Tuesday afternoon, the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the federal government through the end of the 2025 fiscal year.

Generally speaking, CR’s function by simply extending current funding levels for a set amount of time, although Congress can, and often has, attached other measures to the CR. In this case, they included what members refer to as ‘anomalies’ to address some specific changes they or the administration wanted changed from the FY 2024 appropriations that are being extended. Courtesy of Roll Call, here are five of those anomalies:

—Veterans health care accounts would see a $6 billion boost to prevent a shortfall during the rest of the fiscal year, after a miscalculation in the level of demand for services last year sent lawmakers and the Department of Veterans Affairs scrambling. 

—The Department of Housing and Urban Development would get around $4.5 billion extra to maintain current services for low-income families that might otherwise lose rental assistance.

—The Federal Aviation Administration would see higher funding to maintain air traffic control services, and Transportation Security Administration and Coast Guard operations would each get boosts above fiscal 2024 levels. The Federal Emergency Management Agency would get about $2.2 billion more to replenish its disaster relief fund.

—The Agriculture Department would receive additional funds to prevent families in line for Special Supplemental Nutrition for Women, Infants and Children program aid from being wait-listed, as well as more money for the delivery of food packages to low-income seniors and for food safety inspections. 

—A permanent pay boost for wildland firefighters, in line with provisions included in the House’s fiscal 2025 Interior-Environment spending bill, is also included. House Republicans said last year when they introduced the measure that the language would provide over $330 million for firefighter raises and help keep them from leaving for higher-paying jobs elsewhere.