Will Congress Pass Final WRDA Bill in 2016?

Lawmakers return to Washington this week with the goal of quickly wrapping up the year’s remaining unfinished business. The top “must-pass” item on the agenda is a continuing resolution (CR) that is expected to keep the federal government operating largely at current funding levels through the end of March. Republican leaders have not yet released the text of the planned CR, but they hope to have it finalized well before federal appropriations lapse on December 9. At that point, members of Congress are expected to head home for the year.

Still uncertain at this point is the fate of a final Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) bill that members of the House and Senate have been negotiating since September. There remains a chance that an agreement could be reached within the next two weeks, but any legislative business unfinished by the time Congress votes on the CR is likely to be put off until next year.