The House must first pass the bill, then move to the Senate for a vote. The legal action must be completed by March 8, a funding deadline set late last week to avoid a partial government shutdown. The law provides funding to several agencies, including the Departments of Transportation, Veterans Affairs, Energy, Agriculture, Interior, and Housing and Urban Development, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration.
Congress is expected to easily pass the funding measure this week. But House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) has faced a growing backlash from far-right forces protesting high government spending and the lack of policy wins on social issues such as limiting abortion funding and curbing government mandates for abortions. The lockdown will have to be avoided. LGBTQ Rights and Diversity Policy. Prime Minister Johnson would need two-thirds of the House of Commons to pass the bill, which would require a significant number of Democrats to pass.
Congress still has a March 22 deadline to secure funding for the remaining government departments. Lawmakers must pass all 12 spending bills by April 30 to avoid sweeping 1% cuts, a plan supported by some in the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus. There is.
In a statement Sunday, Johnson sought to emphasize the conservative parts of the funding bill, arguing that Republicans were able to impose “significant cuts to agencies and programs critical to President Biden's agenda.”
Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York touted the package, urging swift action in the House and promising to bring it to the Senate floor as soon as it passes the House to avoid a partial shutdown. did. .
A member of the House Republican leadership, speaking on condition of anonymity to comment freely on the funding package, said lawmakers were “in the midst of significant negotiations on a second round of funding.”
The total amount in the six bills is $40 billion less than the amount allocated to the same departments in the previous fiscal year, according to Republican lawmakers. I got it. They argue that the funding package is not a large omnibus, but rather a “robust” six-point package developed over time and with “greater member engagement.” The package was touted as a win.
“We were saying, 'No omnibus,'” the Republican said, using the term used for giant bills meant to fund the entire government. “The Senate was not going to do nothing and just post the bill online and negotiate from there.” Instead, Congress will use two packages to fund the entire government. I'm planning something.
Democrats succeeded in demanding that the Women, Infants, and Children Food Assistance Program not be cut, which Republicans had wanted cut.
“I said I would move mountains to fully fund WIC, and that's exactly what we did,” Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said in a statement Sunday. said. Millions of mothers and babies who rely on this program will no longer have to suffer the stress and harm of losing access to lifesaving nutritional support. ”
Meanwhile, House Republicans touted provisions in the bill that would cut spending to the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
They specifically focus on a 6% cut to the FBI, with members of the House Republican leadership saying that members of the conference are saying that parents who criticize local school board officials are saying, “The FBI has been weaponized.'' “I'm extremely upset that this happened,” he said. , an elaborate theory promoted by right-wing Republicans despite questionable evidence.
The package also increases funding for the Drug Enforcement Administration and secure Additional funding for efforts to combat fentanyl trafficking. Additionally, the package fully funds health care and benefits for veterans.
Democratic Party leaders welcomed the six measures Sunday.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said in a statement Sunday that Democrats and Republicans in both chambers are working on a bipartisan bill to maintain spending. I'm happy,” he said. Government is open.
“Each of these bills rejects many of the extreme cuts and policies proposed by House Republicans and builds on the efforts we have made over the past two years to reverse the underinvestment in domestic programs that Americans depend on,” DeLauro said. We are grateful that this will preserve the great progress we have made.” “I urge swift passage of this package and look forward to announcing the remaining 2024 funding bill.”
Appropriations leaders from both parties also emphasized the bipartisan nature of the bill. Murray said the package “was a negotiation,” adding, “Democrats worked under very tight fiscal constraints that I never agreed to, but I worked with them to the best of my ability for months.” “We've made it clear that if we do that, we can actually provide funding to the government.” It's a bipartisan approach. ”
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said in a statement that committee members “both chambers have worked hard to reach agreement on the text of the bill announced today. ” he said.
“I look forward to working with Speaker Murray and my colleagues to bring this bill to the Senate floor for a vote without further delay,” she said.
Congress was supposed to be ready to pass several spending bills for the remainder of the fiscal year, or spending bills, by the end of last week. Instead, wrangling over policy demands brought the federal government to the brink of another shutdown, necessitating another stopgap spending bill (the third since September) to buy time.
The measures announced Sunday move Congress closer to finalizing a lengthy government process that should have been far less difficult. Biden and then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) last spring agreed to curb federal spending in fiscal year 2024, which begins Oct. 1 and ends Sept. 30, in exchange for suspending the debt ceiling. Agreed.
But far-right members of the House of Representatives were furious at Mr. McCarthy for not enforcing deeper spending cuts, and eventually ousted him from the speakership. Republicans elected Johnson to replace him in late October, but the Louisiana native has struggled to navigate spending debates since then.
Leigh Ann Caldwell and Daniel Gilbert contributed to this report.
