Director’s Desk
Dear Friends,
Happy New Year! We hope you had a restful and joyful holiday season. As we all get back to our work and routines, Congress joins the party this week with both chambers returning to a long and urgent to-do list – which is strikingly similar to last month’s.
Read on for a great piece this month from GAI Fellow Katina Slavkova on the topic on everyone’s mind: FY2024 appropriations. It seems clear yet another Continuing Resolution will be required before January 19, but there’s still plenty of time for leaders to insist otherwise until reality hits.
Beyond the funding debate, House Republicans this week will look to advance their push to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas, while Mayorkas continues to work with Senators on tricky border security negotiations that are likely key to the future of US aid to Ukraine and Israel. And expect there to be continued fall-out over Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s failure to inform key officials – from the President on down – of his recent hospitalization.
As for us, we’ll be ramping back up to a busy schedule of classes on the Hill. And don’t forget you can always reach out to me if there’s something specific we can tailor for your team. We will also keep bringing you great episodes of our podcast Congress, Two Beers In, like the latest conversation with Senior Fellow Laura Blessing and States Newsroom’s Jennifer Shutt.
All the best in 2024,
Kristin
