Congress Passes $1.2T Spending Bill that Includes HHS Funding

Modern Healthcare / By Michael McAuliff
 
Congress passed the final measure early Saturday morning funding Health and Human Services Department operations, among other government programs, for the remainder of the fiscal year.
 
Congress struggled for months to move the 12 annual appropriations bills it is supposed to pass by Sept. 30 every year. Having missed the regular deadline, it repeatedly passed stopgap funding bills to keep the government open.
 
The final bill passed at 2 a.m., two hours after the most recent stopgap legislation expired. However, the technical lapse in appropriations had no practical effect. The White House announced shortly before the bill passed that it had "ceased shutdown preparations." President Joe Biden will sign the bill Saturday, the White House said.
 
The legislation authorizes $1.2 trillion to fund about 70% of the federal government, including $117 billion for HHS operations. President Joe Biden signed a separate fiscal 2024 measure March 9 covering the rest of the federal government. 
 
Congress must now begin work on appropriations for the 2025 fiscal year, which starts on Oct. 1, just weeks before the November elections.