Lawmakers are rushing to complete work on twelve appropriations bills before the start of a long August recess at the end of the week.
However, significant differences between the House and Senate on spending levels, as well as pressure from conservatives on Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), are indicating potential messy spending battles upon lawmakers’ return.
Most spending bills have made progress in the House and Senate appropriations committees. However, House conservatives are advocating for even lower spending levels than those approved in some of the committee bills, which were already lower than the numbers agreed upon in a debt ceiling deal between McCarthy and President Biden.
The Senate appropriators, on the other hand, not only approve bills at levels aligned with the spending caps in the debt ceiling deal but also propose additional emergency spending.
House leaders plan to bring the first two appropriations bills to the floor this week: one covering the Department of Veterans Affairs and military construction, and another covering agriculture, rural development, and the Food and Drug Administration.
McCarthy has reiterated his commitment to not bring an omnibus spending bill to the House floor, a key demand of House conservatives.
“I will not put an omnibus on the floor of the House,” he stated, emphasizing the need for lawmakers to do their job and complete their work.
However, the funding gap between the House and Senate continues to widen.
Senate Appropriations Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-Wash.) announced a deal with Sen. Susan Collins (Maine), the top Republican on the panel, to add $13.7 billion in additional emergency funding to their appropriations bills. The deal includes $8 billion for defense programs and $5.7 billion for nondefense programs.
The announcement has already faced resistance from Republicans in the House, with Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) calling further spending “a non-starter in the House.”
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who serves on the Appropriations panel, also opposes the move, describing it as “just plain wrong” and suggesting it would derail Congress’ progress in addressing fiscal concerns.
Meanwhile, House conservatives continue to exert pressure on GOP leaders to reduce spending, and disagreements persist over overall top-line spending figures.
“Oh, there are going to be changes” to the spending bills approved by the House Freedom Caucus member Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) remarked.
While conservatives have successfully convinced leaders to approve spending levels below the caps established in the debt limit bill, disputes remain over whether rescissions of previously approved spending count towards meeting target fiscal 2022 levels.
“This is a math discussion. Members will have to agree on a specific number across our conference,” Donalds explained.
Donalds and a group of 21 conservatives sent a letter earlier this month pledging not to support appropriations bills that align “effectively in line” with the budget caps set by McCarthy and Biden. They called for a top-line figure at fiscal 2022 levels and opposed the use of “reallocated rescissions to increase discretionary spending above that top-line.”
However, achieving this poses a challenge for GOP appropriators, who have proposed reclaiming funds allocated for Democratic priorities and redirecting them towards areas such as border and national security. While conservatives support spending increases in some areas, like defense and accounting for inflation, this would require deeper cuts in other areas that Democrats are unlikely to support.
“You have to work to get the 218,” said Rep. David Joyce (R-Ohio), a subcommittee chairman on the House Appropriations Committee. He emphasized the importance of passing appropriations bills that shape policies and determine how funds are allocated. Joyce acknowledged the ongoing negotiation process.
Discussions are ongoing between hard-line conservatives, GOP leadership, and other factions of the conference regarding holdups in the spending bills, such as overall spending levels and recissions. However, a source familiar with the discussions noted that many of the concerns raised by members of the Freedom Caucus and their allies are also supported by members from other ideological wings of the conference.
Even as conservatives believe they are making progress, time is running out. The House has only three weeks of sessions scheduled after the August recess and before the September 30 funding deadline.
McCarthy expressed his expectation that the House will pass all twelve appropriations bills by September 30.
Simultaneously, Senate appropriators are rushing to pass their last four funding bills out of committee by next week, as they fell slightly behind the House at the beginning of the process earlier this year.
Thus far, each of the eight funding bills passed out of the committee has received overwhelming bipartisan support. However, negotiators anticipate challenges, especially with bills to fund the departments of Defense, Homeland Security, and Health and Human Services.
Murray acknowledged that the process was never going to be easy but expressed confidence that appropriators are determined to finish strong.
Concerns are growing, however, about whether both sides will be able to reach a deal to fund the government beyond the September shutdown deadline.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) stated, “We’re gonna have a government shutdown because we’re gonna fight between the House and Senate about appropriations. Maybe, I sure hope not. We keep coming right up close.” He emphasized the ability of Congress to create anxiety but expressed hope that a shutdown can be avoided.
Contributed by Mychal Schnell.