Schumer Eyes Thursday Night Senate Vote on FY22 Funding for FCC, FTC, Other Agencies

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Thursday he hopes the chamber will pass the FY 2022 omnibus appropriations package that includes funding increases for the FCC, FTC, NTIA and other tech-related federal agencies (see 2203090068). The House voted 361-69 Wednesday to pass part the measure, filed as an amendment to shell bill HR-2471, that included funding for NTIA, other Commerce Department agencies, the DOJ Antitrust Division and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. The chamber voted 260-171 to pass other parts of the HR-2471 amendment, including funding for the FCC and FTC. The omnibus would give the FCC $381.95 million and the FTC $376.5 million. NTIA would get $50 million, the Patent Office $4.06 billion, the National Institute of Standards and Technology $1.23 billion, and the Bureau of Industry and Security $141 million. BIS would also get a separate $22 million allocation to “respond to” Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. CISA would get $2.59 billion and DOJ Antitrust $192.78 million. CPB would get $525 million annually beginning in FY 2024. The omnibus hadn’t reached the Senate Thursday afternoon because House clerks were still processing the measure. “Once this bill arrives at the Senate, Republicans must work with Democrats to pass the bill as soon as possible, hopefully tonight,” Schumer said in a floor speech: “There’s every reason in the world to believe we can arrive at a path forward quickly.” Senate Majority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters Thursday there were “better than even” odds the chamber would pass the measure that night but cautioned a speedy process depends on Democrats allowing votes on four GOP amendments. If talks continue into Friday, Senate leaders may choose to move on a House-passed continuing resolution (House Joint Resolution 75) to extend federal funding through Tuesday. An existing CR to fund the government expires Friday night. Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, touted the inclusion of language from his Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies for Health Act (HR-2903/S-1512) in the omnibus that would extend for 151 days a waiver of geographic restrictions on access to telehealth services and several other temporary rules changes allowing expanded use of the technology made during the COVID-19 pandemic. The full HR-2903/S-1512 would permanently end those restrictions (see 2110080002). “While this extension is helpful, these changes should be made permanent” by separately passing HR-2903/S-1512, Schatz said.