APPROPRIATIONS/BUDGET NEWS
Appropriators seem resigned to believing that another CR is inevitable. The current CR runs through November 21.
SAC Chairman Richard Shelby yesterday predicted the next CR will go into early next year as Bloomberg reports:
“‘That’s probably in the ballpark,’ Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) said when asked about a continuing resolution to February or March.”
However, HAC Chairwoman Nita Lowey believes they need a shorter CR to keep their feet to the fire:
“‘I’ll have to have more discussions with them to see why they can’t get their work done,’ Lowey said after Shelby’s comment.”
House E & W Ranking Member Mike Simpson thinks that the next CR will go until January:
“‘I am worried about a longer CR,’ Simpson told reporters yesterday. ‘If that’s the case, there has to be a whole lot of anomalies in there. Otherwise, it would be devastating to our defense.'”
Under a full year CR defense programs would lose a $22 billion increase and non-defense a $24.5 billion increase.
The Senate will debate the “domestic minibus” (Ag, Interior, CJS and THUD) next week but plans to start debate on the “defense minibus” (LHHS, DoD, SFOPS and E & W) have stalled over finalizing the FY 20 302(b) allocations.
“Senate Appropriations Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee Chairman Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) told reporters yesterday.
“‘My expectation is we will not get the bill through the Senate unless there’s agreement on the number that would be in the final bill that goes to the president’s desk,’ Blunt said, reiterating that it would have to be a bicameral agreement.”
The major roadblock in finalizing the 302(b)s is funding for the Trump wall. Caitlin Emma tweeted on that yesterday:
“Senate appropriators are looking for a sign from Trump on border wall funding, acknowledging that the president is unlikely to get the $5 billion in fiscal 2020 funding proposed by the upper chamber:
“Shelby: ‘It reminds me of when lawyers, on behalf of their client, sue somebody for X hundreds of thousands of dollars, knowing they’re never going to get there and then they settle it. Sometimes, they get more. But very seldom.'”
SAC Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy said that the inability to resolve the allocations rests with the White House as Roll Call reports:
“‘As one of the Republicans told me, it’s difficult because the White House will tell them one thing one day and something entirely different the next day,’ Leahy said, adding that there is also frustration over having to deal with acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, ‘who was so proud to never vote for an appropriations bill’ when he represented South Carolina in the House.'”
Another shutdown?
NBC News posted a story yesterday that alleges, President Trump will bring government to a halt rather than sign onto another CR:
“With funding for federal operations set to expire Nov. 21, the political class here is beginning to plan for the possibility – or the likelihood, in the eyes of some – that President Donald Trump will shut down the government to try to turn public opinion against House Democrats and their push to impeach him.
For more information, contact:
Jerry Chouinard
Deep Water Point Legislative Affairs Lead
jerry.chouinard@deepwaterpoint.com
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