Next Week on the Hill: House Tees Up Stopgap Funding Resolution

Congress has wrapped up legislative business for the week and will reconvene next week to continue work on pressing government funding deadlines. As the Sept. 30 deadline approaches, House Democrats are expected to queue up a continuing resolution (CR) for consideration as negotiators jostle to avoid another lapse in funding. The upper chamber is expected to take up the CR shortly thereafter, yet it remains to be seen whether the two sides can avoid disagreements over certain funding extensions, as well as how long the stopgap measure will fund the government. Meanwhile, the Senate Appropriations Committee is slated to resume its work on FY 2020 spending bills next week, including the funding measures for Financial Services and General Government (FSGG), Transportation-Housing and Urban Development, and Military Construction-Veterans Affairs.

Also on the House floor next week, lawmakers will take up a bill out of the Judiciary Committee that seeks to reform the Federal Arbitration Act. The Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal (FAIR) Act would: (1) prohibit predispute arbitration agreements that force arbitration of future disputes; and (2) prohibit agreements and practices that interfere with the right of individuals, workers, and small businesses to participate in a joint, class, or collective action related to an employment, consumer, antitrust, or civil rights dispute. While arbitration reform has been eyed by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, the FAIR Act is not expected to be taken up the GOP-controlled Senate, as Republicans argue that the bill would put significant burden on the Judicial system and could end up harming plaintiffs in future cases.