Congress Passes Short-Term Budget & Amtrak Border Bill Before Adjourning for the 2016

Most Members of Congress have left Washington, D.C. for the holiday break, and—save for select pro forma sessions—Congress is nominally adjourned for the year. With the budget extended through late April, NARP has a much clearer idea about what legislative goals for the first half of 2017. Stay tuned in the new year to hear more about opportunities to advocate for more and better train service. Congress Extends Budget Through April 2017 The United States Senate passed a Continuing Resolution (CR) appropriations bill funding through April 28, 2017, by a vote of 63-36. This followed on a bill cleared by the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 326-96. President Obama signed the bill into law, averting a government shutdown. As we predicted, Congress extended program funding levels at FY2016 levels. However, due to the budget anomaly secured by NARP advocates in September, Amtrak will be funded at the slightly higher FY2017 levels. Unfortunately, given the short duration of the bill, the U.S.

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