Hill Republicans Ready New CR After Tanking Proposal That Included NTIA Reauthorization
House Republicans reached an agreement Thursday afternoon on the American Relief Act, a legislative package combining a continuing resolution that extends appropriations through March 14 with a two-year suspension of the debt ceiling. The new CR came a day after…
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some GOP-affiliated lawmakers tanked an earlier proposal that included language from the NTIA Reauthorization Act (HR-4510) and several telecom and tech bills (see 2412180033). The new CR omits those measures' language but includes an extension of some temporary rules changes around Medicare recipients’ eligibility for telehealth services, which Congress enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic (see 2006150032). Federal appropriations are set to lapse Friday night unless Congress approves a CR. GOP opposition to the earlier CR deal arose Wednesday afternoon after President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance criticized the proposal and urged Congress to pass a “streamlined” measure “WITHOUT DEMOCRAT GIVEAWAYS combined with an increase in the debt ceiling.” SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, co-lead of Trump's Department of Government Efficiency advisory group, also repeatedly slammed the earlier CR. It’s unclear whether congressional Democrats back the new GOP-led CR deal. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York earlier indicated congressional Democrats would be unlikely to support a clean CR and said Thursday that party members were a “hard pass” on moving to address the debt ceiling in conjunction with extending appropriations. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit advised Thursday that it will "continue normal operations" if there is a federal government shutdown, with cases calendared for oral argument in January proceeding as scheduled. It said the U.S. Courts' Administrative Office would use carryover funds and fees to keep the courts running for several weeks.