Late last night, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed H.R. 8337 to fund the government through December 11, 2020. The continuing resolution (CR) would fund LIHEAP at its 2020 level of $3.74 billion and directs the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to follow the language in the 2020 appropriations bill, including the hold harmless that guaranteed states would receive at least 97 percent of their 2019 allocation.
The Senate will take up the bill later this week. The President must sign a continuing resolution before October 1, 2020 in order to keep the government open. We fully expect a CR to pass prior to the end of the fiscal year in order avoid a government shutdown immediately before the general election.
Our sources indicate that it is unlikely we will see another COVID-19 relief bill prior to the election. Depending on the outcome of the election, we could have to wait until mid-January 2021 to see additional pandemic relief funding.