Congress Hovers on the Brink of Funding Bill Agreements - House and Senate Budget Negotiations for Fiscal 1986

Sep 21, 2026

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House and Senate leaders nearly completed a set of budget bills designed to keep federal departments operating through fiscal 1986, while targeting a balanced federal deficit over five years. The Senate debated a continuing resolution, H.J.Res.465, that would fund most agencies, including Education, only if President Reagan either vetoed or signed appropriations before a December 12 deadline. Negotiations also addressed education program changes and a Guaranteed Student Loan cut, alongside further discussion of the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings amendment.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages5

Reading Time13 min

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Budget bills and fiscal 1986 funding

Senate debate of H.J.Res.465

Potential amendments to education funding

Student loan cuts and budget reconciliation

Gramm-Rudman-Hollings amendment

# CONGRESS HOVERS ON THE BRINK OF FUNDING BILL AGREEMENTS The House and Senate yesterday neared completion on an assortment of budgetbills that would keep federal departments running through fiscal 1986 whilebalancing the federal budget deficit in five years. The Senate yesterday debated H.J。Res.465,a continuing resolution that wouldfund most federal agencies,including the Education Department,should Pres1-dent Reagan either veto or fall to sign departmental appropriations bills bymidnight Dec.12,when the current stopgap spending measure expires. H.J.Res.465,prepared last week by the Senate Appropriations Committee andsimilar to the version passed by the full House,would fund ED at s18.4 bil-lion--the amount recommended in H.R。3424,the appropriations bill stillawaiting the president's signature--through Sept.30,1986(HED,Dec.6)· However,it was possible the Senate would amend the ED portions of the resolu-tion yesterday as it headed for a vote as early as last night. Meanwhile,House and Senate conferees continued discussion of a three-year bud-get reconciliation plan,but they were unlikely to reach any agreements on edu-cation programs,said a House Budget Committee spokesman.Recessing Friday,Congress may not complete the measure,H.R。3128,until February,she said. Among the issues pending is a proposal to cut about $865 million from theGuaranteed Student Loan program,funded at $3.8 billion in fiscal 1985,overthe next three years(HED,Nov.18)· House and Senate conferees also had scheduled a meeting late yesterday expectedto settle the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings amendment,which would balance the federalbudget in five years using automatic budget cuts when Congress and the presi-dent cannot agree on reductions. # ABC,PBS LAUNCH CAMPAIGN TO TACKLE ILLITERACY Television will soon use its powers of persuasion to ask viewers to help tacklethe problem of adult illiteracy. The ABC Television Network and Public Broadcasting Service yesterday announceda joint campaign to stimulate awareness of a problem that affects an estimated23 million adults,who lack the reading,writing and comprehension skills tolearn job skills,help their children or read a stop sign.(more) December 11,1985 # ABC,PBS LAUNCH CAMPAIGN TO TACKLE ILLITERACY(Cont.) Using the Library of Congress as a backdrop,ABC and PBS representatives an-nounced Project Literacy U.s.(PLUS),which will use national network programsand local community efforts to increase awareness of the problem and establishprograms offering solutions. "It's a growing and dangerous national problem,"affecting employment,pover-ty,crime and national defense,said James Duffy,ABC president of communica-tions.The cost to eliminate 1lliteracy has been estimated at $100 billion to$220 billion,he added. Support PledgedPLUS will operate in two phases:outreach and communityawareness. So far,40 national organizations have pledged their support toestablish activities on the local level,including the recruitment of tutors,students and program sites.At the same time,local television stations willset up literacy task forces in their communities. National network programs will begin in September 1986,after outreach pro-grams have already been set into motion. "Everything we have learned about the illiteracy problem so far tells us thatit is absolutely essential chat community resources be mobilized,organized andin place before consciousness-raising with on-air programming begins inearnest,"said Duffy. Starting in September,ABC will air a documentary focusing on problems facingilliterate Americans. The program will be followed by a PBS documentaryexamining successful ways to deal with illiteracy. The Public Television Outreach Alliance will direct PBS efforts,organizingnational and regional directors to assist PBS stations with outreach.PBS alsoplans to broadcast"The American Ticket,"a show geared at non-readers andthose who use English as a second language,and a program promoting reg-istra

FAQs

What was the purpose of the budget bills discussed by the House and Senate?

They were intended to keep federal departments running through fiscal 1986 while working toward balancing the federal budget deficit over five years.

How did H.J.Res.465 affect federal funding for agencies such as Education?

It would fund most federal agencies, including the Education Department, through Sept. 30, 1986, contingent on how President Reagan acted on appropriations bills by Dec. 12.

What major education-related issue remained pending in the negotiations?

A proposal to cut about $865 million from the Guaranteed Student Loan program over the next three years was listed among the pending issues.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Himbo