The U.S. Senate was able to avert a government shutdown shortly after we sent our last update by passing a continuing resolution (CR) that had already been passed by the House of Representatives. House members left the Senate little choice but to pass the CR or shut down the government by immediately skipping town for the holidays before the Senate could make any changes to the funding legislation. The CR will fund the government at current levels until mid-April, hopefully giving the Senate time to work through President-Elect Trump's nominations in need of confirmation. Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia briefly help up Senate passage of the CR in an attempt to extend benefits for retired coal miners, but with the House already out of town and assurances that the issue would be addressed in the 115th Congress, acquiesced.
In addition to the CR, both the House and Senate passed the latest WRDA bill last week as well. By sending the bill to President Obama, Congress has now passed a WRDA package in each of the last two sessions, perhaps the only sign of regular order seen in the last four years. While the package was light on Mississippi River improvements, it did authorize $170 million for aid for Flint, Michigan to address drinking water infrastructure. A last minute amendment meant to aid farm interests in the Central Valley of California by allowing for increased pumping and diversion of water during drought nearly derailed the bill. Senator Barbara Boxer, one of the architects of WRDA was furious that the amendment was added at the last minute, but ultimately, could not get the provision removed or passage stopped.
On the administrative side, President-elect Donald Trump has selected two cabinet members that will have a lot to say about the future of the Mississippi. Trump's pick to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt. Pruitt's selection has led to sharp outcry from environmentalists. As Oklahoma AG, Pruitt has worked closely with oil and gas interests and sued the EPA for regulatory overreach. If confirmed, Pruitt will almost certainly steer the EPA away from President Obama's Waters of the U.S. rule and Clean Power plan. Pruitt can also not realistically be expected to guide the EPA towards more action on nutrient loading in the Mississippi River Basin, though he has yet to comment on how he would perceive his role within the work of the Gulf Hypoxia Task Force.
Donald Trump has also named his pick for Secretary of Interior. Congressman Ryan Zinke, the lone representative in the House of Representatives from Montana is slated to lead the largest landholding department of the federal government and trustee of the Upper Mississippi National Wildlife Refuge. Many have decried Zinke's environmental record, but others have noted his support of public lands and permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Indeed, Zinke was the only Republican on the House Natural Resources Committee to vote for permanent reauthorization of LWCF.
