The House of Representatives was in recess this week, but the Senate was in session and made some progress advancing its busy legislative to-do list. It passed a $700 billion defense bill this week, a significant increase. However, the bill only authorizes spending. The Senate will have to decide how much funding to appropriate as it finishes the FY18 budget.
The Senate also renewed discussion of healthcare reform, with the Graham-Cassidy bill likely the last possible attempt before the ability to use budget reconciliation, and thus avoiding the filibuster, expires at the end of the month.
