Stopgap Reauthorizes HTF After DOT Temporary Furloughs, Follows Government Funding CR

As reported in FEDagent on September 30, 2021, the Senate and the House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution (CR), funding the government at FY 2021 levels until December 3, 2021. The President signed the Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act that evening to avoid a government shutdown.

The legislation does not include a highly debated raise to the debt ceiling but does provide emergency disaster funding and humanitarian assistance for Afghan refugees.

House Democrat lawmakers voted to suspend the debt ceiling in a previous CR, which failed to advance past Senate Republicans who prefer Democrats use reconciliation to raise the debt ceiling if they should choose to do so. Lawmakers introduced a CR without addressing the debt limit when it became clear the issue could not be resolved in time to avert a government shutdown.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the national debt would enter default on October 18 without the debt ceiling being raised or suspended. Secretary Yellen, testifying before Senate Banking Committee on September 28, 2021, warned lawmakers of a national debt default’s consequences, jeopardizing social security benefits, child tax credits, and military personnel wages.

Congress is also grappling with infrastructure legislation that has impacted federal highway and mass transit funding. The Senate passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in August, but the Act remains stalled in the House. 

Failure to pass an infrastructure bill meant the deadline for the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) reauthorization lapsed – the financial backer for most federal highway and mass transit projects. As a result, the Department of Transportation (DOT) temporarily furloughed 3,700 employees on October 1, 2021. 

That same day, the House passed a 30-day stopgap measure to reauthorize the Highway Trust Fund. On October 2, 2021, the Senate passed the legislation and sent it to the President for signature. President Biden signed the Surface Transportation Extension Act into law later that day.

Congress’ extension for the Highway Trust Fund lasts 30 days until October 31, 2021, when certain DOT employees will once again be subject to furlough without additional funding authorization.