APPROPRIATIONS/BUDGET NEWS

The Congress recently approved the FY 2020 Consolidated National Security Appropriations Bill. This legislation includes Division D – The Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2020.

The Homeland Security division provides $69.8 billion in discretionary funding, $2.2 billion above the President’s budget request and $6.4 billion above the FY 2019 enacted level. A summary of this legislation is attached. Some highlights:

1. The Office of Biometric Identity Management is provided $183.9M for IDENT/Homeland Advanced Recognition Technology.
2. Restores $13.8M of the $27.6M reduction in the budget request to EVUS.
3. Provides $20M for Port of Entry technology.
4. Provides $30M to enable the DHS CMO, in conjunction with CBP, ICE, and other operational components, to develop and establish interim and long-term electronic systems for recording and maintaining information related to the health of individuals in the Department’s custody.
5. Provides $122.3M for E-Verify.
6. Provides $43.5M for the Election Infrastructure Security Initiative.

[su_button url=”https://www.deepwaterpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/FY-2020-Final-Funding-for-DHS.pdf” target=”blank” style=”flat” background=”#777e85″ color=”#000000″ size=”10″]View Full Summary[/su_button]

For more information, contact:
Jerry Chouinard
Deep Water Point Legislative Affairs Lead
jerry.chouinard@deepwaterpoint.com

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The House of Representatives will consider later today HR 1158, the FY20 Consolidated National Security Appropriations funding package. This package contains four individual spending bills, as follows:

1) Defense; 2) Commerce, Justice, Science; 3) Financial Services/General Government; and 4) Homeland Security.

Attached is a summary prepared by the Senate Committee on Appropriations for each of these bills.

[su_button url=”https://www.deepwaterpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/HR1158-Natl-Security-Package-Summary.pdf” target=”blank” style=”flat” background=”#777e85″ color=”#000000″ size=”10″]View Full Summary[/su_button]

For more information, contact:
Jerry Chouinard
Deep Water Point Legislative Affairs Lead
jerry.chouinard@deepwaterpoint.com

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APPROPRIATIONS/BUDGET NEWS

The House of Representatives is scheduled today to consider HR 1865, the FY20 Consolidated Domestic and International funding package. This package contains eight individual spending bills, as follows:

1) Agriculture; 2) Energy and Water; 3)Interior/Environment; 4) Labor-HHS-Education; 5) Legislative; 6) Military Construction/VA; 7) State/Foreign Operations; and 8) Transportation/HUD.

Attached is a summary prepared by the Senate Committee on Appropriations for each of these bills.

[su_button url=”https://www.deepwaterpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/HR1865-Domestic-Intl-Asst-Package-Summary.pdf” target=”blank” style=”flat” background=”#777e85″ color=”#000000″ size=”10″]View Full Summary[/su_button]

For more information, contact:
Jerry Chouinard
Deep Water Point Legislative Affairs Lead
jerry.chouinard@deepwaterpoint.com

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APPROPRIATIONS/BUDGET NEWS

Few details released on the final deal
After several meetings yesterday, HAC and SAC leaders announced they had a deal to complete all 12 of the FY 20 appropriations bills that will increase defense and domestic budgets by $49 billion, as Roll Call reports:

“As of Wednesday, appropriators still had more than 100 open items left to resolve with partisan disagreements about border wall spending still open.

“A series of meetings and offers led to a somewhat frantic Thursday, with Lowey and Shelby meeting with House ranking member Kay Granger, R-Texas, and Senate ranking member Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vt., around 10 a.m. before Lowey and Shelby went into a meeting with Pelosi and Mnuchin.

“Republicans sent a proposal to Democrats during the afternoon, after which Lowey, Shelby, Granger and Leahy met again to hash out the final elements.”

Following acceptance of the deal, HAC and SAC leaders announced little to nothing about what was in their agreement. Reports are that the final bills will be released on Monday.

What we do know:
President Trump will get $1.375 billion for border barrier construction, significantly less than the $5 billion the White House requested. Congress will not backfill $3.6 billion in military construction funds that the White House had taken under its emergency declaration. Trump will be able to retain his ability to transfer funding from Pentagon accounts to the border wall.

Politico noted what is still unknown:
“It’s also unclear how the deal will treat other hot-button issues, such as federal spending on gun violence research, and certain parochial projects pursued by congressional leaders.

“House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy wanted the funding deal to include language that would allow more water to be stored in the Shasta Lake reservoir in Northern California – an increase in water height that many Democrats and environmental groups oppose. According to a Republican aide, it would be fair to include the Shasta Lake provision if Pelosi gets her wish of including language making $10 million available to the Presidio project in San Francisco.”

Bloomberg also highlighted undecided issues:
“Coal Miners Pension Measure Still Needs a Vehicle: Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said he doesn’t see much opposition to his demand for a vote on a measure addressing coal miners’ pensions and health care. The provision could ride on a spending bill, though Manchin said he’s open to any vehicle as long as it passes.”

“Senators are pressing to insert language to set enforceable limits on ‘forever’ chemicals in the end-of-the-year spending bill after lawmakers failed to do so in the annual defense authorization bill.”

Floor action
Earlier this week, it was rumored that Congress will roll the 12 appropriations bills into two minibuses – one addressing security and the other will contain the remaining bills.

Roll Call reports that minibuses over an omnibus bill seem to be the preferred vehicle for floor action:

“‘It is my hope that we will consider those appropriations bills on the floor on Tuesday; perhaps a series of minibus packages to fund all of government for the remainder of the fiscal year,’ House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, D-Md., said Thursday afternoon.

“Hoyer said he’d discuss with Lowey how many packages they plan to put on the floor. Both parties have pledged to avoid another omnibus bill encompassing all 12 bills since the fiscal 2018 law was enacted in March 2018.”

For more information, contact:
Jerry Chouinard
Deep Water Point Legislative Affairs Lead
jerry.chouinard@deepwaterpoint.com

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FY20 NDAA conference report

The conferees on the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act have reached agreement and it will be considered by the House and Senate later this week. A summary of the agreement, prepared by the Senate Armed Services Committee, is attached.

[su_button url=”https://www.deepwaterpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/FY20-NDAA-Conference-Summary.pdf” target=”blank” style=”flat” background=”#777e85″ color=”#000000″ size=”10″]View Full Summary[/su_button]

For more information, contact:
Jerry Chouinard
Deep Water Point Legislative Affairs Lead
jerry.chouinard@deepwaterpoint.com

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APPROPRIATIONS/BUDGET NEWS

Sounds of silence
HAC and SAC negotiators met through the weekend to finalize all 12 FY 20 appropriations bills, but Sunday ended with no announcement.

Hopefully, the bills will come together today. Subcommittees were told to submit their unresolved issues to leadership last Friday.

Friday evening Roll Call reported that a foreign aid rider was creating a problem in the STATE-FOPS bill:

“Urged on by anti-abortion activists and religious groups, the White House is raising concerns in year-end spending talks about language secured by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., in the Senate’s State-Foreign Operations bill they fear could cut out faith-based aid groups from U.S. Agency for International Development contracts.

“Shaheen argues the provision in the bill would simply require USAID contractors to adhere to current law, which stipulates they can’t deny services to individuals based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, political affiliation or other factors.”

Sweetening the pot
The Hill reports that in an attempt to get GOP approval for appropriations bills, Democrats have offered to include a provision to repeal the ObamaCare Cadillac tax:

“A congressional aide familiar with the talks told The Hill that Democratic negotiators had put repeal of the Cadillac tax ‘on the table in the appropriations negotiations.’

“The aide added that the offer was made as part of ‘broader negotiations’ and that there are ‘several things still unresolved’ in the spending talks.

“ObamaCare’s Cadillac tax, which has never gone into effect, was meant to keep health care costs down by discouraging overly-generous ‘Cadillac’ health insurance plans.”

FY 20 NDAA on House agenda
The House Majority leader’s weekly calendar lists a vote on the conferenced FY 20 NDAA for Wednesday or later.

Last week it was reported that an agreement on paid family leave for federal workers and establishing a Space Force were also part of the conferenced bill.

The Washington Post reported today Administration negotiators offered several ideas in exchange for the Space Force creation before finally settling on the deal that would be “the biggest victory for federal employees in nearly 30 years.”

Because of the coast of the family leave provisions there is concern that the deal might not be approved:

“…it is unclear whether it will have enough support among Republicans to pass the Senate. And support for the idea isn’t unanimous within the Trump administration. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has raised concerns about approving parental-leave benefits because of the cost, three people briefed on the talks said.

“Some Democratic aides say the proposed federal benefits package would cost about $3 billion, though there is disagreement about whether those costs would span five or 10 years.”

For more information, contact:
Jerry Chouinard
Deep Water Point Legislative Affairs Lead
jerry.chouinard@deepwaterpoint.com

Contact Deep Water Point Today
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