The House adopted yesterday by a vote of 226 to 203 H.R. 2740, the first set of spending bills for FY2020.
Shortly after its passage, the chamber started debate on the next set of measures, a five-bill package, which includes the Commerce-Justice-Science, Agriculture, Interior and Environment, Transportation and Housing, and Military Construction-Veterans Affairs bills. Due to the large number of amendments made in order for the floor, the House is expected to carry over its work on the legislation into next week.
Even as the House continues to move forward on its appropriations process, an agreement between the two houses of Congress and between Congress and the White House on how to deal with the budget caps remains elusive. While representatives from all sides met yesterday, no deal was reached. With no changes to current law, for next year, there would be a cut of $125 billion below this year’s overall spending levels.