Here is your Federal Legislative Weekly Report (Week of December 3-7, 2018)

Week of December 3-7, 2018

President Trump Continues to Threaten a Shutdown

Congress approved a short-term stopgap to prevent a government shutdown on Friday, Dec. 7. Negotiations to complete the remaining bills to fund transportation and housing projects, law enforcement, national parks, financial services, and more are nearly done. But so far, the president has not said he will approve them. He continues to demand $5 billion for a controversial border wall, even though $1.3 billion in border funding for FY 2018 has not been spent. As a result, seven funding bills and 25 percent of government programs remain in limbo until December 21, when the new temporary funding bill expires. That creates pressure for a deal just before Christmas or a shutdown that could last into possibly next year. The president also continues to push back against efforts to provide Puerto Rico with needed economic and nutrition assistance.

What You Need to Know: It is irresponsible to hold public services, including disaster aid, hostage to the president’s political demands. This dangerous game of chicken over the federal budget and a shutdown is very disruptive to thousands of federal, state and local workers and interrupts important government functions. AFSCME strongly opposes playing politics with people’s access to important public services.


Federal Government Affairs Department
Phone: 202/429-5021 or 800/732-8120
Fax: 202/223-3413
E-mail: federalaffairs@afscme.org
Website: http://www.afscme.org/
Produced by Union Labor