Sen. Cardin urges immediate defense supplemental amid spending dispute.

Sen. Ben ⁣Cardin Suggests Defense Supplemental Spending Package ⁢Needed in‍ September

Sen. Ben ⁤Cardin (D-MD) indicated⁤ on Tuesday that the Senate will likely pass a defense supplemental spending package when Congress ‍reconvenes next month after the⁣ August recess.

Cardin made these remarks while speaking to reporters outside the Senate ‌floor following a pro forma session, where a member ​quickly opens and ​closes the chamber. As Congress returns ⁣in ⁢September, it faces the looming threat of ‌a​ government shutdown and a broader dispute ⁣over ‌defense spending levels.

Government Shutdown Looms as Time Runs Out

The federal government’s funding⁢ expires on September 30, and with⁤ only 12 ⁤in-session days remaining for both the House and Senate, finding a resolution to prevent a shutdown becomes increasingly⁣ urgent. Adding to ⁤the complexity, House and Senate appropriators have been working⁤ on government funding bills with different spending levels for months.

On the​ Senate side, Senate Appropriations Committee ‌Chairwoman Patty ‍Murray (D-WA) and ⁢ranking member ​Susan⁢ Collins (R-ME)⁢ have been advancing‍ the 12 annual appropriations bills based on spending ⁣levels agreed upon in May as⁤ part of ‌President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) deal to avoid a‌ debt default.

Senators Demand Supplemental Defense Spending Bill

Senators from across the ideological spectrum expressed frustration with the defense caps in the deal, which would hinder the Pentagon’s ability to​ allocate adequate resources in line with inflation. In‍ response to potential opposition from defense hawks, Senate‌ Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY)‍ and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) pledged‍ to bring ⁣a ‍supplemental⁢ defense spending bill up for a vote ⁣later in the year.

“We recognize that we’re not happy with [that deal], we recognize that. But now it’s ⁢complicated because⁤ we really need some emergency appropriations,” Cardin stated, referring to the initial debt ceiling deal. “We know that as a ​result of Ukraine, we‌ know that‍ as a result‍ of what happened with ‌the fires‌ in⁤ Hawaii, in Maui, there’s going to be ‌some emergency spending that’s going to⁤ be a⁢ necessary​ part of this.”

House Speaker‌ McCarthy’s slim majority in the House leaves little room for defections⁢ within his conference. Over 20 ‍members are already demanding that ​appropriators draft their 12 ⁤bills based on fiscal 2022 ⁤spending levels, which are lower‌ than ⁢the numbers in the debt limit deal. McCarthy has also ​rejected the idea of passing​ a defense supplemental in the ⁤House.

Short-Term Continuing ⁢Resolution Likely

During a call‍ with members last week, ‍the House speaker stated that he‍ anticipates the need for‌ a short-term continuing resolution to provide​ enough ⁢time for both chambers to pass and negotiate their 12 appropriations bills. Schumer also expressed support for this idea.

“A supplemental​ can be attached to whatever we can get done, or it could be the​ engine for what moves, and‍ maybe a​ couple of things get added to a supplemental,” Cardin ​explained when asked about⁣ attaching the supplemental to the short-term continuing resolution.

“The supplemental sort of drives itself, the timing, ⁣the need for it,” he added. “So it’s not waiting for another vehicle ⁢to attach⁤ it to, it’s more: when do ‍we need the supplemental?‌ I think we’re going to need a supplemental in‌ September.”

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