Coming into this week, Congress was expected to introduce text for an omnibus spending bill that would fund the federal government through the remainder of Fiscal Year 2018. The House of Representatives was expecting a vote on Friday, but final negotiations on contentious issues failed to come together in time. The omnibus will not be unveiled until next week, but it is unlikely that Congress will resort to another continuing resolution.
Lawmakers are finalizing an agreement on wildfire funding and forest management provisions that is expected to be included in the final version of the omnibus. Negotiations were threatened by management provisions that Democrats considered extreme but Republicans appear to be softening their demands for reform. This week, Senator Tom Udall (D-New Mexico) expressed that the bipartisan cooperation on this issue is a good sign a deal will be reached and included in the final text of the omnibus.
In addition, Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota) expressed that Congress will include a short-term Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization amendment to the omnibus. Negotiations on FAA reauthorization have been held up in Congress for months, and Senator Thune is prepared to work to secure a long-term reauthorization, likely to occur after the November elections.