Senate approps chief balks at adopting long-term continuing resolution

Senate Appropriations Chairman Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, warned Friday of dire consequences for agencies and programs if they are to be funded under a long-term continuing resolution, as advocated by some senators aiming to break for the year Oct. 8 as well as by fiscal conservatives eager to hold down spending to last year's levels.

Stevens said programs -- ranging from 43 hurricane-related beach nourishment projects to a $706 million increase for security at nuclear weapons labs -- would be jeopardized under that scenario.

"I'm trying to make the case for the members of the Senate to think about getting all of these bills done this year," he said. "Don't think about a CR. A continuing resolution will not work for the appropriations process this year."

Renewing his push to wrap up appropriations work by Oct. 8 rather than face a CR lasting until March or even September, Stevens announced a renewed effort to complete floor action next week on as many as five spending bills in addition to the pending fiscal 2005 Homeland Security bill, and the next installment of supplemental disaster aid, which the administration is expected to formally request Monday.

The chamber will have until the week of Sept. 20, which is set aside for debate on intelligence legislation, to consider as many spending bills as possible on the floor, Stevens said. After that, he said, "if we can't get them done, we take them to conference on an omnibus."

A spokesman for Appropriations ranking member Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., said it was too soon to comment on a move to skip floor debate on remaining bills.

"Sen. Byrd shares Sen. Stevens' concern that Congress not rely on the old crutch of a long-term CR," he said, adding that Byrd "wants to be as flexible as possible" to ensure fiscal 2005 bills are completed.

Stevens said his goal was to report all remaining fiscal 2005 appropriations bills out of committee next week "if it means working nights," as part of a commitment he made to Byrd. The panel is scheduled to mark up fiscal 2005 Interior, Agriculture and Transportation-Treasury spending bills Tuesday, making them eligible for the floor next week. Already on the calendar are fiscal 2005 Military Construction and Legislative Branch bills, which Stevens said could be approved by unanimous consent.

Stevens' ambitious plans to rush through a massive omnibus bill could face obstacles. For example, Stevens said he saw no solution in sight for the Yucca Mountain funding issue that threatens consideration of the Senate's fiscal 2005 Energy and Water bill, and mentioned that some members want more money in the fiscal 2005 Foreign Operations bill to fight the spread of global HIV/AIDS, despite an increase from $1.6 billion last year to $2.2 billion.

The potential also exists for the must-pass fiscal 2004 supplemental disaster aid package to get bogged down in parochial battles over expanding it to regions other than hurricane-ravaged Florida.

"I don't think we can come up with just a second supplemental for these two monster hurricanes alone," Stevens said, citing storm damage in the Carolinas and Virginia, fires in the West and flooding in other areas.