including drastic cuts to social welfare programs and an overhaul of domestic energy extraction. Democrats were pushing for a “clean” debt ceiling bill, much like the previous three passed during the Trump Administration. The legislation suspended the debt ceiling through January 1, 2025, effectively increasing the amount of money the federal government can borrow to fund federal programs. The deal caps non- defense discretionary spending for FY24 at roughly $704 billion, followed by a 1 percent increase in discretionary spending in FY 2025. The FRA rescinded approximately $28 billion in unobligated COVID-19 funding, including funds made available through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, and other pandemic-related spending bills. While certain funds at the Indian Health Service (IHS) and Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) were protected, other programs were not spared from the recissions. The biggest recission for Indian country was at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Funds for the Office of Native American Programs for the operation of tribal housing and housing block grants were clawed back. Funds for Native American language preservation, Rural Development distance learning, telemedicine grants for broadband, and pandemic assistance funding for short-term benefits were also clawed back by the FRA. The FRA also included several policy provisions unrelated to raising the debt ceiling that Democrats conceded to secure Republican votes. ● Work Requirements: The deal tightened restrictions for the SNAP food assistance program and emergency cash aid known as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. New time limits will be phased in for people without children up to age 54 to receive food assistance through SNAP if they do not complete specific work requirements. Under current law, those time limits only apply to people up to 49 years old. Those expanded limits will sunset in 2030. Democrats have long opposed restrictions on assistance programs and fought to secure some exemptions for homeless people and veterans. ● Permitting Reform: The FRA included changes to the current NEPA permitting process, the decades-old law governing federal environmental reviews of projects. ● IRS Funding: A portion of the $80 billion in funding Democrats pushed through for the IRS last year was rescinded.
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