Shutdown Clock Ticks as House GOP Pushes Another Spending Package
House Republicans are expected to pass a three-bill spending package today that would fund the Departments of Energy, Commerce, Interior, and Justice, along with water programs, the Environmental Protection Agency, and federal science initiatives, through Sept. 30.
The package’s path forward has been complicated by objections from fiscal hawks, who are pressing for changes to how earmarks are handled in the next six spending bills Congress hopes to advance ahead of the Jan. 30 deadline.
"Going forward, we’re going to be allowed a little more access to the bills and the ability to have an impact on them in the future — this next tranche," Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) told reporters yesterday. "We'll get to take a look at the earmarks, too. I mean, that was part of the whole problem here."
With a shutdown deadline looming, Congress is moving quickly to pass additional spending measures before Jan. 30.
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The next “minibus” appropriations package slated for the House floor is expected to include FY2026 funding bills for Homeland Security, State–Foreign Operations, and Financial Services and General Government.
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Significant hurdles remain, particularly for the Homeland Security bill.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), the top Senate Democrat on the Homeland Security measure, has called for tighter constraints on the department, especially in the wake of Wednesday’s deadly shooting in Minneapolis. Republicans, meanwhile, are pushing for increased funding for ICE enforcement and an additional 45,000 detention beds.
This article was provided to OSAP by ASAE's Power of Associations and Inroads.