Partial Federal Shutdown Continues
Today, the federal government hit Day 38 of the partial shutdown as Congress and the Administration continue to be at a stalemate on how to fund and reopen the federal government. There are bipartisan discussions at the rank-and-file level in the Senate, but we have yet to see an agreement emerge. The reasons for the shutdown remain the same: Democrats are refusing to vote for the continuing resolution unless the Affordable Care Act (ACA) enhanced premiums, which are set to expire at the end of the year, are extended as part of the funding bill, and Republicans are refusing to negotiate on the ACA premiums extension until the federal government has reopened.
Speaker Johnson adjourned the House on September 19 after it passed a clean continuing resolution (funding the government at FY 2024 levels with no policy riders attached) by a party-line vote and has kept it out of session, promising not to return until the Senate passes a funding bill. This has resulted in the House not being in session for 49 days, halting all legislative work in that chamber.
The House-passed continuing resolution only extends current federal funding until November 21. With that being only two weeks away, House and Senate leadership are facing the fact that they will need to pass a new continuing resolution that extends to the end of the year or into the new year. That new spending measure would start in the Senate, and they will need Democrats to support it in order for it to pass.
Nearly all substantive legislative work has come to a halt in Congress, vital grant funding is not being dispersed, the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) has reduced air traffic in our nation’s 40 largest airports, and federal law enforcement officers and task forces are working without pay. These are just a few of the pressure points that may bring Republicans and Democrats to the table to deal on reopening the government. NAPO continues to monitor this situation and its impact on state and local law enforcement.
NAPO on the Hill: NDAA; COPS Office Independence
National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)
NAPO continued our full court press to gain support for maintaining our Law Enforcement and Crime Victims Support Package in the Fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Committees of jurisdiction in the House, which in this case is the Judiciary Committee, have until today to approve amendments to remain in the NDAA.
The Law Enforcement and Crime Victims Support Package is comprised of eight bipartisan, and NAPO priority, bills: Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act, Improving Police Critical Aid for Responding to Emergencies (CARE) Act, Retired Law Enforcement Officers Continuing Service Act, the Strong Communities Act, the Protecting First Responders from Secondary Exposure Act, the Reauthorizing STOIC Act, the Chief Herbert D. Proffitt Act, and the PROTECT Our Children Reauthorization Act.
In addition to outreach to the entire House Judiciary Committee and House leadership, NAPO issued a statement on November 5 calling for the House to support the inclusion of this pro-law enforcement and pro-public safety amendment. NAPO also joined with our national law enforcement partners in another letter to Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-MD) urging them to support the inclusion of the Law Enforcement and Crime Victims Support Package in the final NDAA. The House Judiciary Committee has sole determination if our amendment remains in the final bill.
With the continued uncertainty regarding how the federal government will eventually be funded for Fiscal 2026, the NDAA may be our only chance to get this package of bills across the finish line and passed into law this year.
COPS Office Independence
NAPO sent a letter to House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole (R-OK) and Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), which was also sent to all members of the House Appropriations Committee, urging them to stand with us in support of the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office remaining an independent office within the Department of Justice (DOJ). We have heard from numerous Committee members that they share our concerns; it is just a matter of getting Committee leadership to agree that Congress should ensure that COPS is not merged into the Office of Justice Program (OJP).
While we understand and support the DOJ’s desire to make its many grantmaking authorities more streamlined and efficient, we fear that if the COPS Office is consolidated with the other grantmaking entities within the DOJ, we will lose a significant resource dedicated to state and local law enforcement.
Maintaining an independent COPS Office is a top priority for NAPO and we are urging Congressional appropriators to include language into the final CJS appropriations bill prohibiting the integration of the COPS Office into OJP. We will continue to work with Congressional appropriators to protect the independence of the COPS Office and ensure our priority grant programs are sufficiently funded in FY 2026.
NAPO Pushes for Congressional
Support for Priority Legislation
NAPO continues to press members of Congress to support and cosponsor our priority legislation and work with them to introduce key bills in support of law enforcement. You can view our latest “Legislative Positions” document, which is available on the NAPO website under “Washington Report”. This document highlights all the legislation that NAPO has taken an official position on or are monitoring during the 119th Congress and is continually updated to reflect the work we are doing on Capitol Hill.
For the latest data on which of your Senators or Congressional representatives are supporting our priority legislation, please contact NAPO’s Director of Governmental Affairs, Andy Edmiston, at aedmiston@napo.org.
NAPO Participates in Public Sector
Healthcare Roundtable Annual Conference
NAPO Director of Governmental Affairs Andy Edmiston participated in the Public Sector Healthcare Roundtable’s Annual Conference, which brings together the leadership of public sector health plans from across the country and healthcare sector stakeholders to discuss the issues facing public sector employer health plans. The Public Sector Healthcare Roundtable has long been a strategic partner of NAPO in the fight to protect and enhance the healthcare benefits of public safety officers.
The Roundtable’s conference touched on issues including current economic conditions, federal health care policy outlook from the perspectives of the Administration and Congress, Make America Healthy Again and its impact on public sector healthcare plans, Medicare Advantage and Employer Group Waiver Plans, and controlling drug costs.
NAPO’s 37th Annual Police, Fire, EMS, & Municipal Employees
Pension & Benefits Seminar
Take an active role in safeguarding the future of your plan and retirement by registering for NAPO’s Annual Pension & Benefits Seminar at Ceasar’s Place in Las Vegas, Nevada January 25 – 27.
The purpose of this Seminar is to educate pension system and employee representatives along with their providers and vendors on the latest issues surrounding the pension and benefits industry. It will focus on the policies of the second Trump Administration, Executive Orders, lawsuits, and the new Congress. Slow but steady progress appears to be being made regarding inflation and the cost of living. Growing concern about our National Debt and the logjam in Congress, though, have threatened the U.S. credit rating and public confidence as a whole. The desire for stability and some sort of predictability remain vital in equity markets, and the battle over foreign policy and trade and tariffs continues.
We will continue to address the growing use of AI as well as liability risks & practical advice for fiduciaries. Benefits themselves continue to be viewed as a key component of recruitment and retention. We will examine these areas and more as we evaluate the effect of these trends on public employment benefits and security, and the near- and mid-term future for U.S. and world economic conditions.
For information contact NAPO’s Director of Events, Elizabeth Loranger, at 800-322-6276 or eloranger@napo.org.
Submit Your TOP COP Nominations Today!
Please take the time to nominate examples of outstanding police work for this prestigious award. We count on you, our members, to help us get the word about TOP COPS out and obtain nominations for officers nationwide. Join us in honoring America’s Finest by nominating a case today. The nomination form is attached and can be found on our website, and it must be postmarked or faxed to (703) 684-0515 by January 9, 2026. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact NAPO’s Director of Events, Elizabeth Loranger, at eloranger@napo.org or (703) 549–0775.
2026 will mark the 33rd year that NAPO has hosted the TOP COPS Awards®. The TOP COP Awards® Dinner will take place May 12, 2026, at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, again coinciding with National Police Week. With your help and partnership, the TOP COPS Awards® will continue to be a tremendous success!