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Category: Appropriations

Agreement Reached on First FY2019 Minibus

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As October 1, the start of FY2019, approaches, House and Senate negotiators have agreed to a compromise on the first package of spending bills.  The first “minibus” includes the FY2019 Energy and Water Development, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Legislative Branch Appropriations Bills.

The text of the compromise bill is available here.  The text of the conference report, which contains additional details, is provided here.

Included in the $147.5-billion package is $6.59 billion for the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science, which is an increase of $325 million above the current level.  The agreement would also provide $366 million for the DOE Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, an increase of $13 million, or 3.7 percent.  The DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy account would see an increase of $57 million for a total of approximately $2.4 billion.

While the timing could slip a bit, the Senate could take up the measure as soon as Thursday, with the House following suit on Friday.

Discussions are currently underway on two other minibuses, one of which is a combined package of the defense and health and education bills.

 

Progress as Deadline on Spending Bills Approaches?

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Even as most of the national media is focused on the Supreme Court confirmation hearings as Congress returns to work this week, we could see progress on the appropriations front.  The next fiscal year, FY2019, starts October 1 and none of the 12 spending bills have been signed into law so far.

Although hurdles still remain, it appears that House and Senate negotiators are making progress on a package of three bills– made up of the Energy and Water Development, Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, and Legislative Branch measures– as they get ready to formally meet as a conference committee later today.  At the same time, on a separate track, there appears to be movement on a second package of bills, which contains the Labor-Health and Human Services and Defense bills, which are the two largest spending measures.

Both chambers have agreed to their respective versions of the three-bill package and negotiators must hash out the differences.

On the other hand, while the defense bill has been passed by both houses, only the Senate has been able to move on the Labor-HHS measure.  Because the House version of the latter bill is viewed by some as being much more controversial than the Senate version with respect to policy provisions contained in it, it will not be brought to the House floor for a vote.  Instead, the House agreed yesterday to go to conference with the Senate on the two-bill package without the full House having considered the Labor-HHS bill.  In addition, negotiations between the two sides have begun on the contours of a package.

Congressional leadership hopes to get these five bills signed into law before October 1.  The current thinking is that programs funded through spending bills not adopted by the start of FY2019 would be funded on a short-term basis through a continuing resolution until the other measures can be signed into law.

 

Senate Agrees to Domestic-Defense Appropriations Package

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As expected, the Senate adopted last Thursday an appropriations package made up of the two largest spending bills, the Labor-HHS-Education and Defense measures.  The Senate approved the $856.9-billion package by a vote of 85 to 7.  While the House cleared its version of the Defense bill, it has yet to move on Labor-HHS.

Among other items, the Senate bill would fund the NIH at $39.1 billion in FY2019, an increase of $2 billion over the FY2018 level.  During the floor debate, several amendments of interest were adopted, including:

  • An amendment from Roy Blunt (R-MO), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) that would transfer $5 million from the NIH Office of the Director to the Office of the Inspector General at the Department of Health and Human Services “for oversight of grant programs and operations of the National Institutes of Health, including agency efforts to ensure the integrity of its grant application evaluation and selection processes.”
  • A Blunt-Murray amendment authorizing the Department of Education to allow institutions of higher education to service outstanding Federal Perkins Loans.

Two Biggest Spending Bills Likely to See Senate Movement

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After the Senate returns from its abbreviated August recess this Wednesday, it is expected to start debate on the two biggest spending bills, the Defense and Labor-HHS Appropriations Bills. The Senate will most likely combine the two measures into a single package, which, if passed, would include a total of approximately $857 billion in total spending for defense, health, education, and labor programs.

The House, which remains in recess through Labor Day, has made no announcements regarding its plans for the two bills.

 

Senate Clears Four-Bill Minibus

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Earlier today, the Senate passed a four-bill “minibus” by a vote of 92 to 6. The package includes FY2019 Agriculture, Transportation and Housing Urban Development, Financial Services, and Interior appropriations bills. As noted yesterday, this means that the Senate has now cleared seven of the 12 spending bills.  The House has passed its versions of the Interior and Financial Services bills.