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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