09/12/2019

Senate Spending Talks Off to Bumpy Start

Senate appropriators are bogged down in partisan disputes

Senate appropriators are bogged down in partisan disputes this week as lawmakers scramble to fund the government past Sept. 30. None of the 12 annual spending bills have reached the Senate floor, and the Senate Appropriations Committee announced it will postpone a markup of its Labor-HHS-Education bill after Democrats prepared amendments to restrict a Trump administration rule that limits funds for organizations that provide abortions or offer abortion referrals.

The Appropriations Committee earlier today passed its annual defense spending bill on a 16-15 party line vote, with Democrats objecting that the bill does not prevent President Trump from redirecting defense funds for border wall construction and other projects along the U.S.-Mexico border.

“Funding an ineffective, failed campaign promise, which the president promised Mexico would pay for, is not a priority of the American people and should not be the priority of this committee,” said Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT).

Both Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) have agreed that the slow pace of the appropriations process necessitates a stopgap spending bill to temporarily extend current spending levels until mid-November.

This article was provided to OSAE by the Power of A and ASAE's Inroads.