Senate mulls advancing spending bills, sparking clash with House GOP.
The Senate’s Next Move in Spending Showdown with House
The Senate is gearing up for a high-stakes spending showdown with the Republican-controlled House. Appropriations Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-WA) and Ranking Member Susan Collins (R-ME) are working together to bring a package of three bills to the floor in September.
According to aides involved in the effort, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and the leaders of the Appropriations Committee are considering moving forward with bills that would fund military construction, agriculture spending, and one other bill.
Panel Approves 12 Bills Ahead of Recess
Ahead of the August recess, the panel approved all 12 bills, aligning them with the caps set in the debt ceiling deal negotiated by President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). The agreement limits overall national security spending in fiscal 2024 to $886 billion, with a 3% increase from current levels. In fiscal 2025, defense spending would be capped at $895 billion, a 1% increase from the previous year.
“The Senate Appropriations Committee has passed all 12 bills to fund the government with strong, sometimes unanimous, bipartisan support. The Senate will work to get as much done as possible in September. To avoid a government shutdown, the House should follow the Senate’s lead and pass their appropriations bills in a bipartisan way,” Schumer said in a statement to Politico.
However, the looming floor action sets up a clash with the GOP-led House, where many members opposed the debt ceiling deal and refused to vote for it. McCarthy and GOP leaders are now preparing bills with less spending than previously agreed to, influenced by a block of hard-line House conservatives.
The House managed to pass its military construction appropriations bill before leaving for recess, but only one of the 12 must-pass spending bills. House conservatives have also insisted on separate votes for each government funding bill, rather than a large “omnibus” bill.
President Joe Biden’s supplemental request for approximately $40 billion for Ukraine assistance, border policies, and disaster recovery efforts further complicates the situation.
Consulting Senators for a Bill that Will Pass
“We look forward to reviewing the administration’s supplemental funding request carefully. Whether it’s supplemental funding to defend against Russian aggression in Ukraine, to strengthen our global competitiveness, to provide disaster relief for communities across America, or critical resources to stop the flow of fentanyl and address needs at the border — these are important priorities,” said Murray and Collins in a joint statement in early August. “We will be consulting with Senators on both sides of the aisle, on and off committee, to craft a bill that will pass the Senate.”
McCarthy criticized Senate Republicans for attempting to spend above the caps set in the debt ceiling bill. He emphasized the need to pass the Homeland Security appropriations bill during a GOP members-only call, stating that the House needs to focus on issues like borders and energy in negotiations.
As the House and Senate work on passing a short-term spending bill before the September 30 deadline, along with the supplemental funding requests, negotiations are ongoing. However, a short-term deal may face opposition from members of the House Freedom Caucus who have expressed their refusal to support it.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) predicted the need for a short-term continuing resolution to fund the government until early December during a speech to the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Government Forum.
“It’s a pretty big mess. The speaker and the president reached an agreement, which I supported in connection with raising the debt ceiling to set the spending levels for next year,” McConnell said. “The House then turned around and passed spending levels that were below that level. Without saying an opinion about that, that is not going to be replicated in the Senate.”
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