House Elects U.S. Representative Mike Johnson (LA-4) as Speaker, Promise to Move FY24 Appropriations Bills Quickly Follows

On Wednesday, October 25, the House elected Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA-04) as Speaker of the House by a vote of 220-209. He replaces former Speaker, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA-20), who was removed on Monday, October 2, by a rarely used Motion to Vacate. 

As the House has been without a Speaker for the last few weeks, it has been unable to perform its legislative duties. Upon his selection as Speaker, Rep. Johnson issued a letter to his colleagues, promising swift action on outstanding appropriations legislation. The letter outlined an ambitious schedule for considering pending funding bills – including a plan to assess the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education (“LHHS”) Appropriations bill, which funds TRIO programs, during the week of November 13. 

As current government spending expires on Saturday, November 18, Speaker Johnson hopes to pass another continuing resolution through early 2024. This resolution would allow legislators time to debate and move individual funding bills instead of a massive “omnibus” package. 

Meanwhile, across the Capitol, the Senate is working on a three-bill “minibus” appropriation bill this week. The LHHS bill has yet to be scheduled for a floor vote. 

We must take advantage of every opportunity to raise the importance of increased TRIO funding with Members of Congress, especially since work will continue on the FY24 funding bills. Please get in touch with your Senators and Members of Congress to thank them for their support of TRIO, describe how TRIO helps your students, and ask them to fund TRIO at the highest level possible in FY24. A phone call to the district director, a newsletter article about your program, or an email to the education legislative assistant will help the Council keep TRIO funding a priority in Congress until this situation is resolved. 

If you need assistance finding the staff contacts for your Senators or Members of Congress, please contact Diane Shust at diane.shust@coenet.org.