House Appropriators Speed Through Spending Bills - June 1, 2005 Vol.6, No.11

June 1, 2005 Vol.6, No.11:

Published: 05/31/2005

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House Appropriators Speed Through Spending Bills

While the Senate was bogged down last week debating judicial nominations and a possible vote to end the use of the filibuster when considering judicial nominees, the House has been hastily forging ahead on appropriations bills at a furious pace. Soon after the bicameral budget resolution was agreed to April 28, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jerry Lewis (R-CA) laid out 302(b) allocations to the 11 appropriations subcommittees and markups immediately began. Seven of the bills remain to be completed.

Congress has until Sept. 30 -- the end of the fiscal year -- to pass all the appropriations measures. To date, the House has completed four of the bills: Energy and Water, Homeland Security, and Military Quality of Life/Veterans Affairs. House members hope to send all 11 appropriations bills to the Senate by the Fourth of July recess.

One notable development yet to reach the House floor occurred May 23 when the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Science, State, Justice and Commerce reported a $57.45 billion spending bill excluding funding that would support President Bush's proposal to consolidate several economic development programs. In the administration's budget plan, 18 community development programs -- including the Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) -- would be consolidated into a new "Strengthening America's Communities Grant Program" administered by the Commerce Department (CDBG is currently administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development). In addition to undercutting the mission of these programs by placing them in the Commerce Department, the president's proposal would also cut funding for the consolidated programs by one-third.

The bill reported in this subcommittee excluded funding for this consolidation, as the president's proposal has received widespread bipartisan opposition. Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) commented on the president's proposal in February, saying, "The cuts and changes to the community development block grant program -- lifeblood of community development and revitalization -- are non-starters." The House Appropriations Subcommittee including HUD has not marked up their spending bill yet, but they will most likely include funding for CDBG in the mark.

Senate Appropriations Chairman Thad Cochran (R-MS) is expected to begin marking up the appropriations measures soon after the Memorial Day recess, but the Senate is already so far behind schedule it is unlikely to meet the Sept. 30 deadline. This means Congress will most likely be unable to complete all 2006 appropriations bills by the end of this fiscal year. It will necessitate once again using irresponsible continuing resolutions and complex omnibus appropriations bills to continue funding the government.