Key Dates
October 1, 2022 (Fiscal Year 2023 Begins): 36 days
November 8, 2022 (Election Day): 74 days
November 9, 2022 (Senate Returns for “Lame Duck” Session): 75 days
November 14, 2022 (House Returns for “Lame Duck” Session): 80 days
December 15, 2022 (Target Adjournment of 117th Congress): 109 days
Between the President’s announcement on student loan relief and hotly contested primary races in key states like New York, another week of Congress’s annual August recess was markedly less quiet this year than in years past.
With August winding down and Labor Day fast approaching, kids are headed back to school and Congress will soon be back in session. The Senate will return to Washington on Tuesday, September 6. The House will resume holding remote hearings that day, though Representatives won’t physically return to Washington for votes until Tuesday, September 13.
The passage of the Inflation Reduction Act concluded more than 18 months of discussion in the media and on Capitol Hill about what might be in that package, and crossed a significant item off Democrats’ “to do” list. But Congress still faces a daunting workload. Before September 30, Congress must act on the following:
- Continuing Resolution (CR). The House and Senate have much work yet to do on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 spending bills, so expect a CR kicking the can past September 30. How long the CR will be and whether another one (or two…) will be required remains an open question.
- User Fee Amendments (UFAs). Both the House and Senate have been working for months to reauthorize the Prescription Drug User Fee Amendments (PDUFA), Generic Drug User Fee Amendments (GDUFA), Biosimilar User Fee Amendments (BsUFA), and Medical Device User Fee Amendments (MDUFA), all of which expire September 30. Before Congress broke for August, a key Senator upended negotiations, with no clear path forward. The FDA will soon have to issue “reduction in force” notices to employees in preparation for a lapse in authorization, bringing the FDA’s work in these areas to a grinding halt.
- National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The full House passed its version of the FY2023 NDAA in July, and while the Senate Armed Services Committee passed its version in June, the full Senate has not yet voted on the package. While it doesn’t provide funding, this annual bill sets policy for DoD and is considered “must pass.”
A number of other priorities remain on lawmakers’ radars, which could get addressed during September, but more likely during the post-election Lame Duck session. Those include:
- Medicare and tax extenders
- Mental health legislation
- “CURES 2.0” or other action on ARPA-H
- Monkeypox response
A more detailed list of upcoming authorization and funding deadlines is available here.
