Although much attention is being directed to the deficit reduction proposals and work of the President and Super Committee, the federal fiscal year 2011 ends on September 30 and none of the FY 2012 appropriation bills have been enacted by Congress. To avoid a government shutdown on October 1, Congress has been working on a Continuing Resolution that would keep programs funded. After some concerns that the two chambers would not reach a compromise, an agreement was reached yesterday evening that should keep the government operating. This Continuing Resolution does include spending reductions from FY 2011 levels that were agreed upon during deficit reduction negotiations earlier this summer.
The Senate did complete its markup of the FY 2012 Labor-HHS Appropriations bill last week, recommending level funding for many rural health programs including SHIP and Flex. The House has not completed its work on the Labor-HHS bill and it’s not clear whether Congress will pass the spending bills or wait for the Super Committee’s recommendations that are due on November 23.
Want to learn more about the current federal budget negotiations? CRHC, in partnership with the Area Health Education Centers, will be hosting a webinar on October 4 from 2:00-3:00 pm to discuss the issues, how they might impact rural providers and communities, and provide information and resources for communicating with your elected officials. Click here to register for the webinar.
