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FRIDAY, APRIL 28
Hello, Countable friends!
In American democracy the Congress has "the power of the purse," meaning all government funding must be mapped out and approved by the House and the Senate. This power is laid out in the Constitution -- so you’d think that, by now, Congress would be pretty good at keeping the government open.
Well, not so much.
At the stroke of midnight tonight, the federal government turns into a pumpkin. So lawmakers are scrambling for help from a fairy-godmother of a bill to give them a few more days to negotiate. It’s a short-term, stopgap funding bill that keeps the government open until May 5th. Let’s hope enough Members of Congress stay at the ball to get this thing passed.
The President: In Washington
President Trump will be available to sign the weeklong funding extension
Trump is also expected to sign an executive order to expand offshore oil drilling in the Atlantic
The House of Representatives: In Session
- The House will vote on H.J.Res. 99: the continuing resolution to fund the government through May 5, then send it to the "other chamber":
The Senate: In Session
- The Senate will receive the House bill and hold a vote on it, and send it on to the President for his signature.
What to Watch
Today’s Executive Action on offshore oil drilling reverses the policy set by former President Obama. Keep up by checking our Executive Action tracker
With Members of Congress unlikely to take up the GOP’s revised health care bill today, keep an eye on interactions with President Trump. Tomorrow marks his 100th day in office, and he’s looking for some kind of political progress to tout.
Daily Pro-Tip:
- If you could introduce a bill to Congress, what would it be? We’re collecting your bills and putting them on Countable! We’ll even take the most popular ones to your lawmakers. Check it out!
Hope your weekend is more fun than the one congressional leaders are having -- many are staying in Washington to haggle over funding for the rest of the year. I’m sure they’re all remembering the wise words of Republican Senator Everett Dirksen:
"A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking about real money."
Happy Friday, and don’t forget to
-- Andrea Seabrook, Managing Editor of Countable
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