Chambers move on appropriations, but omnibus bill is possible
Both the House and Senate hope to mark progress on fiscal 2004 spending bills this week, while talk of an emergency supplemental appropriations bill will bridge Thursday's somber anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. At the same time, House-Senate conferences on two politically charged pieces of legislation-involving energy policy and a Medicare prescription drug benefit-will draw keen interest.
As for the 2004 budget cycle, most lawmakers and aides are resigned to one or more continuing resolutions as the Sept. 30 conclusion to the fiscal year approaches, along with potential omnibus wrapping together unfinished appropriations bills. Only the Defense, Military Construction, Homeland Security and Legislative Branch measures now are in conference. Aides said they should be completed by the Sept. 30 deadline.
The House this week will wrap up the last two of its 13 appropriations bills, while the Senate tries to complete its $472 billion Labor-HHS appropriations measure and move on to other outstanding spending bills-of which the $27.3 billion Energy and Water spending bill is likely to be next in line. The Senate also could possibly take up a measure funding the District of Columbia, including a controversial provision allowing the use of school vouchers in the city.
The school voucher issue blocked completion Friday of the House version of the District of Columbia measure, as Democrats tried procedural tactics to strip the voucher provision, capitalizing on GOP absentee votes. But House leaders pulled the measure rather than let that happen and have scheduled a vote for this week on final passage.
The House is also slated to complete work on an $89.3 billion Transportation-Treasury spending measure Tuesday that bogged down last week in partisan and jurisdictional controversy.
Among the amendments the measure is likely to draw is a trade-related proposal by Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., to cancel funding for enforcement of the Cuba travel ban.
Congressional leaders and appropriators also will be casting a wary eye on the White House this week, as administration officials are in the process of developing a fiscal 2004 Iraq supplemental request. In an address to the nation Sunday, President Bush said he would seek $87 billion in funding.
The request will encompass U.S. military needs and those of Iraq's civilian authorities headed by L. Paul Bremer, who-according to Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Ted Stevens, R-Alaska-has made a particularly strong case for quick relief.
But GOP aides said the supplemental request is likely to begin moving in the House, where leaders are opposed to providing money in installments and are inclined to move a large, freestanding package, rather than tuck funds into one of the pending appropriations bills.
As the Senate Appropriations Committee finished marking up its final four bills Thursday, ranking member Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., turned to Stevens and said, "Well, I think it's sad if we end up in an omnibus."
Stevens replied that it is hard to schedule votes in "a political year" when Democratic senators often are absent, as well as the fact that it is rare for votes to be scheduled on Mondays and Fridays.
Stevens also said a long-term continuing resolution, rather than a series of shorter ones, may be in order to give appropriators time to complete the 13 spending bills without resorting to an omnibus.