Window on Washington: Roll Green Wave!

This article originally appeared in the Second Quarter 2018 Benedict’s Maritime Bulletin. Reprinted with permission. Any opinions in this article are not those of Winston & Strawn or its clients. The opinions in this article are the author’s opinions only.

Laissez les bon temps rouler! In late March 2018, Congress passed a massive $1.3 trillion Omnibus Appropriations Bill funding the Government for the rest of the year providing much-needed funds for maritime-related programs. The Bill, which passed the Senate only hours before another Federal Government shut-down, and on the eve of Congress’s spring recess, weighed in at 2,300 pages and $138 billion more than 2017 spending, and was passed so hurriedly that many, probably most, legislators had no opportunity to read it or even get a handle on what it included. House party leaders gave members just hours to review the Bill, tamping down opportunities to explore and object to its detail. And with Congress checked-out and home for two weeks, the President had little opportunity to negotiate.

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