House Passes FY23 Omnibus Extending FCC Auction Authority Through March 9; Biden Signs NDAA
The House voted 225-201 Friday to pass the FY 2023 appropriations omnibus legislative package (HR-2617), which would extend the FCC’s spectrum auction authority through March 9. The Senate passed the measure Thursday (see 2212220075). President Joe Biden said Friday he…
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planned to sign it “as soon as it reaches my desk,” averting a shutdown that would otherwise have occurred Friday night. Biden separately signed off Friday on the FY23 National Defense Authorization Act (HR-7776), which includes language to restrict the federal government’s use of products with semiconductor manufacturers deemed to be Chinese military contractors (see 2212070056). The omnibus includes increases in federal funding for the FCC, FTC, NTIA, other Commerce Department agencies, the DOJ Antitrust Division and CPB (see 2212210077). Lawmakers agreed to temporarily renew the FCC’s auction authority via the omnibus after Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., objected to the inclusion of a spectrum legislative deal reached by the leaders of the House and Senate Commerce committees (see 2212200077). House Commerce ranking member Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash, who’s set to take the committee gavel when the 118th Congress convenes in January, criticized the process that led to the omnibus’ passage, saying, “There simply isn’t enough accountability built into this bill. It’s long past time that Congress do its job and consider legislation to fund the government in a way that prioritizes an open and accountable process.”