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County committee hears federal legislative update as appropriations and NDAA move through Congress
Summary
Emily Bauke DaSilva of CJ Lake told Alameda County supervisors the House has advanced several FY25 spending bills, the Senate’s schedule lags, and the NDAA passed the House narrowly after an amendment on Pentagon abortion-travel policy drew partisan opposition.
Emily Bauke DaSilva, a Washington lobbyist with the firm CJ Lake, briefed the Alameda County Board of Supervisors Personnel Administration Legislative Committee on June 17 about the current pace of federal business and what it means for county funding.
"This week, it's a little quiet in DC," Bauke DaSilva said, noting the House was in recess while the Senate was in session but would be out for the Juneteenth holiday. She said House appropriations subcommittees had approved seven of 12 FY25 spending bills and that the remaining five would enter markups the following week.
The update prioritized the spending bills Alameda County tracks closely because they fund county programs: Labor, Health and Human Services and Education; Transportation; and HUD, among others. "Labor, HHS, ed, and I'd say transportation, HUD, where the bulk of our our funding that the the county uses comes from," Bauke DaSilva said.
On the National Defense Authorization Act, Bauke DaSilva reported the House passed its version by a close margin. She recounted that an amendment reversing the Pentagon's abortion travel policy passed on the House floor and that the amendment sharply divided members, prompting many Democrats to oppose the broader bill. "The House passed [the NDAA] by a close vote of 217 to 199," she said, adding that the amendment passed 214 to 207.
Bauke DaSilva said the Senate had cleared its Armed Services Committee version of the NDAA and that members would likely negotiate a bipartisan conference product. She warned that floor calendars and attendance around holidays could limit votes late in the week and that the Senate typically runs behind the House on appropriations work.
Why it matters: Alameda County relies on funding and program guidance tied to multiple federal spending bills, so the committee’s lobbyists and staff monitor markups and floor activity for language and funding levels that could affect county budgets and services.
The committee did not take formal action on federal bills during the update; members thanked CJ Lake for arranging meetings with congressional delegation staff and federal agencies and moved on to the next agenda items.
