Federal employee unions voiced their support on May 1 for a deal to keep the government running through September.

Congress agreed on a continuing resolution on April 30 to avert a government shutdown and fund agency functions through the end of fiscal 2017, though there was intense speculation up through April 28 whether a deal could be reached.

The White House had called for funding for President Trump's proposed border wall and proposed removing government subsidies for Affordable Care Act coverage, but backed off of those plans after stiff resistance from Democrats and tepid support from Republicans.

The CR includes additional funding for the Department of Homeland Security, including $1.5 billion for border security and an additional $331 million for the Transportation Security Administration, as well as an extension of health care benefits for coal miners.

Federal employee unions were quick to commend the deal, which is set to be voted on in the House on May 3.

"In reaching this agreement, lawmakers wisely rejected billions of dollars in harmful cuts to medical research, education programs, housing grants and other domestic programs that were proposed by the Trump administration," said American Federation of Government Employees National President J. David Cox in a statement.

"Those who need our help the most would have been hit the hardest by these cuts, and Congress was right to reject them."

National Treasury Employees Union President Tony Reardon took a more cautious tone, noting that while Congress did avoid a shutdown, the funding levels in the CR either weren’t enough for agencies like the Customs and Border Protection, IRS and were, in fact, cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency.

"This deal relieves some of the anxiety in the federal workforce by giving their agencies a budget to operate for the next five months," Reardon said in a statement. "And while lawmakers did not impose some of the most draconian cuts proposed by the administration, the spending package fails to recognize acute budget and staffing needs at many agencies."

EPA saw a 1 percent cut from its 2016 budget, but the impact has reduced staffing levels to 15,000 employees, the lowest level in almost 30 years.

And while CBP did get another $137 million, Reardon said the agency needs more money for front-line workers in addition to the technology funding coming from the CR.

The IRS will remain funded at 2016 budget levels.

The funding agreement sets the stage for a tenacious budget battle in September when the White House will try to pass broad agency spending cuts mixed with a massive workforce reorganization for fiscal 2018.

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