FY 2025 Federal Budget
With the federal fiscal year ending September 30, House leadership is struggling to put together an acceptable funding package in time to avoid a government shutdown. Speaker Johnson had been pushing a Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the government at current levels for the next 6 months, but wanted to include the SAVE Act as part of the package to require proof of citizenship for voter registration. Deep opposition to the package came from both the left and the right, and the Speaker’s effort was defeated in a floor vote yesterday. There are various options for a funding proposal to move forward, with many expecting we will wind up with a 3-month CR without the SAVE Act, but time is quickly running out if we are to avoid a government shutdown.
Parole in Place
On September 11, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals stopped all proceedings in the District Court regarding the Biden Administration’s Parole in Place, also known as “Keeping Families Together”. This effectively keeps the District Court’s freeze on the program in place indefinitely while the Circuit Court addresses underlying questions. During this period, USCIS will continue to accept and process applications, but cannot issue decisions on any applications until the court lifts the hold. MIRA will continue to provide updates on this program as it makes its way through the courts.