This Week's Advocacy News: 'Lawmakers Mull Short-Term Patch as Funding Plan Slowly Advances'

January 12, 2024 by Jaimie Vickery MPP, ONS Director of Government Affairs and Advocacy

The next step for Congress (https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2024/01/08/congress/whats-next-on-funding-00134409): Cutting a separate deal on twelve individual pockets of money—before any bill can be written, with a shutdown looming. Congressional appropriators are sprinting to turn two big funding totals into 12, after party leaders secured a deal on a government funding framework over the weekend. For weeks, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s staff have haggled over budget totals for the military and domestic programs—only to wind up with the same funding limits set by last summer’s bipartisan debt agreement.

Politico

ONS Perspective

In November 2023, Congress passed a unique “laddered” continuing resolution (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/2023-government-shutdown-house-vote-today/) to maintain federal government funding and operations into 2024. The agreement stipulated that funding for certain federal agencies such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration would cease on January 19, 2024, whereas others, including ONS's priority programs at the Department of Health and Human Services, would be funded until February 2, 2024.

As yet another government budget deadline approaches, ONS and the Nursing Community Coalition (https://www.thenursingcommunity.org/_files/ugd/148923_fb500c3b429d465889f3b1fddd4db6f9.pdf) are proactively advocating that Congress fully fund Title VIII nursing workforce development programs. These programs are crucial for equipping nurses with necessary skills and support for delivering top-tier care.

Your advocacy is needed more than ever. Contact your members of Congress and urge them to support (https://www.votervoice.net/ONS/Campaigns/110036/Respond) the recruitment, education, training, and retention of skilled oncology nurses.

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