On June 23, 2011, the House Appropriations Committee cleared a bill providing only $1 million for the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) in fiscal year (FY) 2012. That figure constitutes a 90% reduction from the FY ’11 funding level of $7 million and is $4 million less than the Obama administration’s request for the NHPRC.

Assuming no changes are made when the bill is considered on the House floor, advocacy efforts will shift to the Senate. There is no indication when the Senate Financial Services & General Government Subcommittee will meet to consider their FY ‘12 bill. Congress will be in recess the month of August until after Labor Day. Given what occurred last year, and in previous years, there will likely be a series of continuing resolutions to keep the federal government running after the start of Fiscal Year 2012 on October 1. So it is likely many months before any action will occur in the Senate.