Amid the current government shutdown, the House plans to remain out of session while the Senate prepares for another round of votes on a stopgap funding measure known as a continuing resolution (CR). As this issue was going to print, the votes were scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday evening.

Republicans engaged in bipartisan talks see a faint glimmer of hope for a deal on a continuing resolution, contingent on two commitments: first, taking up legislation to address expiring health insurance subsidies by November 1, which coincides with the start of open enrollment; and second, passing all annual full-year appropriations bills. Several GOP senators and House members support at least a temporary renewal of the expanded health care tax credits, but they are pushing for changes such as capping eligibility based on income, a proposal that would require additional time to negotiate. So far, that has not satisfied members of the Democratic caucus, who insist on more specific assurances regarding the tax credits.

The Department of Energy is furloughing more than half its employees during the partial government shutdown but will keep open offices responsible for nuclear security, grid reliability, and other critical functions, according to a plan released Wednesday. Of the department's 13,812 employees, 5,707 will continue working during the shutdown, with more than 4,000 funded through sources other than annual appropriations.

In a separate development, Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought announced Wednesday that the Trump administration is canceling nearly $8 billion in Energy Department funds across 16 states with two Democratic senators. "Nearly $8 billion in Green New Scam funding to fuel the Left's climate agenda is being cancelled," Vought said in a post on X, listing states including Connecticut, California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.

Meanwhile, only 1,700 of the roughly 12,500 active employees at the Environmental Protection Agency have been deemed essential during the partial government shutdown. EPA research, civil enforcement inspections, and the issuance of new grants are paused under the agency's contingency plan.

We will continue to monitor the shutdown situation and keep members updated. Towards that end, NEFI has published a summary of the shutdown and its potential impact on your business, which you can find in the members area of NEFI.com (see lead story, above, for more on this summary).

There are no congressional hearings of interest scheduled for this week.