CARH’s BROADCAST EMAIL –Regulatory Update

September 28, 2023

Congress has until midnight on September 30th to either pass Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations bills or pass a short-term continuing resolution that would keep the government funded while appropriations talks continue. As of today, the House and Senate remain far apart on funding levels. A government shutdown is becoming more likely as lawmakers remain unable to reach agreement and, at a minimum, pass a stopgap funding bill.

On September 21, the Office of Management and Budget communicated to federal agencies to update their shutdown contingency plans. The plan for the Department of Housing & Urban Development can be found here, while the plan for the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development (RD) can be found here. (Please note that although RD’s plan from 2021 has not yet been updated for 2023, the plan linked is a good picture of what their contingency plan will be this time based on lessons learned from the last government shutdown in 2019. Any updates to RD’s plan will be posted here when complete.

The White House has also updated their “Frequently Asked Questions During a Lapse in Appropriations” which outlines the general principles that govern an agency’s operations during a lapse in appropriations. Finally, Holland and Knight’s public policy division has prepared a detailed memo entitled, “Government Shutdown Advisory: Summary of Contingency Plans for Lapse in Appropriations.

Members of Congress from both the House and Senate will continue meeting over the weekend. CARH will update members should progress be made and a shutdown does not take place.

For other news and information affecting the affordable rural housing industry, please visit the Newsroom on CARH’s website, www.carh.org.