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News and updates

First Spending Package Adopted

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The House adopted yesterday by a vote of 226 to 203 H.R. 2740, the first set of spending bills for FY2020.

Shortly after its passage, the chamber started debate on the next set of measures, a five-bill package, which includes the Commerce-Justice-Science, Agriculture, Interior and Environment, Transportation and Housing, and Military Construction-Veterans Affairs bills.  Due to the large number of amendments made in order for the floor, the House is expected to carry over its work on the legislation into next week.

Even as the House continues to move forward on its appropriations process, an agreement between the two houses of Congress and between Congress and the White House on how to deal with the budget caps remains elusive.  While representatives from all sides met yesterday, no deal was reached.  With no changes to current law, for next year, there would be a cut of $125 billion below this year’s overall spending levels.

 

From One Bill to the Next

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After several long days of debate, the House is expected to vote on passing the first four-bill spending package for FY2020 later today.  The chamber concluded its debate on the last amendments made in order for the bill late last night/early this morning and will vote on them and on final passage later today.  The measure,  H.R. 2740, combines the Labor-HHS-Education, Defense, State-Foreign Operations, and Energy and Water bills for FY2020.

Currently, the House is scheduled to follow up its work on H.R. 2740 with floor action on H.R. 3055, a vehicle that combines five separate spending bills:  Commerce-Justice-Science; Agriculture; Interior; Military Construction-Veterans Affairs; and Transportation-House and Urban Development.

 

Appropriations Work Continues in House This Week

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The House is scheduled to continue its appropriations work on the floor this week.

When it reconvenes on Tuesday, the House is expected to resume its debate on the first package of spending bills for FY2020, one that is made up of the Labor-HHS-Education, Defense, Energy and Water, and State-Foreign Operations bills.

After completing work on this set of bills, the chamber is scheduled to take up a five-bill vehicle, consisting of the following measures:  Commerce-Justice-Science; Agriculture; Interior and Environment; Military Construction-Veterans Affairs; and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development.

The Senate has yet to move on any of its bills, hoping to reach a deal on top-line spending limits first.  If no deal is reached soon, the Senate Appropriations Committee may also move on its own, hoping to reach a compromise with the House and the Administration later in the legislative process.

First Spending Package Ready for Floor Action

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The last two FY2020 spending bills– the Homeland Security and Financial Services measures– were cleared by the House Appropriations Committee yesterday.  The homeland security legislation was adopted 29 – 20 while the financial services bill was approved 30 – 21.  With all 12 bills having gone through the committee process, the House is now slated to bring its first spending package to the floor later this week.

Starting today, the House is scheduled to debate a $985-billion package that combines four individual bills, including the two largest, Defense and Labor-HHS-Education.  The legislation also includes the Energy and Water and the State-Foreign Operations bills.

The House is proceeding without an agreement between Congress and the Administration on the overall amount of funding that is available for FY2020.  Later today, Senate Republican appropriators and White House representatives are scheduled to meet to discuss the topline funding issue.

Two More Spending Bills Clear House Committee

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After a full day of markups, the House Appropriations Committee reported out yesterday afternoon two more FY2020 spending bills .

The Commerce-Justice-Science bill (see relevant documents here), which funds, among other agencies, the National Science Foundation, NASA, and NOAA, was approved 30 to 22.

The Interior and Environment bill (see relevant documents here), which funds a host of disparate agencies, including the National Endowment for the Humanities and the USGS, was approved 30 to 21.