Both House Appropriations and Budget Committees are expected to be busy today.
The Budget Committee is scheduled to take up its FY2018 budget resolution today and the committee action is expected to last for most of the day. While the budget resolution is not law, it will serve as a fiscal blueprint for FY2018. Among the provisions of interest in the budget resolution include:
- Instructions to 11 committees to find cuts totaling $203 billion in mandatory spending
- tax reform instructions
- cuts totaling $6.7 trillion below current projections through 2027
- Total discretionary spending level of $1.132 trillion in FY2018: $621.5 billion for defense programs and $511 billion for non-defense programs
The spending level called for discretionary defense programs for FY2018 will require change in law. Even if the budget resolution is adopted in committee, questions remain as to whether it will pass the entire House.
With respect to the appropriations process, the House Appropriations Committee is scheduled to take up and clear today the last two spending bills for FY2018, including the Labor-HHS-Education bill, which funds biomedical research and education programs.
In related news, the House Republican leadership announced that it plans to bring up a “minibus” package of four spending bills to the floor next week for consideration. The package will include the following bills: Energy and Water Development; Defense; Legislative Branch; and Military Construction- Veterans Administration.
Office of Federal Relations will provide further details.