House Republicans unite on non-defense spending cuts, but Senate faces obstacle

By Kevin Freking, Associated Press

Friday, July 5, 2024 | 22:02

WASHINGTON — House Republicans got off to a faster and more united start this year on funding the federal government, passing four of 12 annual budget bills by the end of June, compared with none at this time last year when the new majority had a rocky start.

However, it cannot be denied that the fight over spending will continue.

All four bills that have passed the House so far have drawn veto threats from President Joe Biden’s administration and faced widespread opposition from Democrats, and in their current form they have no chance of passing the Senate. That would mean a protracted, months-long fight that would likely require one or more stopgap spending bills to keep the federal government fully open when the new fiscal year begins on Oct. 1.

Here’s a look at the current state of play in the funding process and likely flashpoints.

Plow forward

House Republicans plan to pass dozens of spending bills one at a time rather than combining them into one sweeping bill, known as an omnibus bill, which they say leads to overspending and misguided government policy because such large bills are harder to amend or stop without risking a government shutdown.

Earlier this year, Speaker Mike Johnson split discretionary spending into two bills. Congress finally passed them in March, nearly halfway through the fiscal year. Now, House Republicans are looking to move faster on spending bills for fiscal year 2025. Johnson boasted that the House has passed four spending bills for next year, compared with zero in the Senate.

“House Republicans have committed to rebuilding muscle memory and making regular changes,” Johnson said.

Non-defense spending cuts

The House GOP momentum is likely temporary. They have chosen to go their own way rather than work with Democrats on legislation. GOP leaders have rejected key aspects of the agreement that then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy hammered out with Biden, which introduced strict spending limits as part of a deal to avoid a crippling default.

The agreement called for a 1% increase in defense and other spending over the next fiscal year beginning October 1. But House Republicans decided to pursue a course in which only defense spending would increase by that amount. Nondefense spending would be cut by about 6%, rejecting adjustments agreed to by McCarthy and the White House that would have allowed for more spending other than that specified in the debt ceiling bill.

The difference between the two paths is significant. If House Republicans had stuck to the McCarthy-Biden deal, nondefense spending would have increased from nearly $773 billion this year to more than $780 billion in the next fiscal year. Instead, they are working toward about $725 billion in nondefense spending.

Rep. Tom Cole, the Republican chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, argued that House Republicans are being guided by what was in the debt ceiling bill. It didn’t include the entire Biden-McCarthy deal. Negotiators agreed to reclaim funds approved outside the appropriations process to support nondefense spending and keep it relatively steady. For example, negotiators agreed to cut $20 billion from the IRS and put that money elsewhere.

The White House says that “instead of honoring their agreement” and engaging in a bipartisan process, “House Republicans are once again wasting time passing partisan bills that would result in deep cuts” to law enforcement, education, housing and other programs.

Cole says Democrats took the GOP line by voting with eight Republicans to remove McCarthy from office.

“The Democrats need to understand that they were a part of getting rid of the speaker. That was their choice. They had every right to do that. But if you think you can get rid of someone that you made a deal with and the deal remains the same, maybe you should reconsider,” Cole said.

Meanwhile, House Republicans are adding dozens of policy mandates to spending bills that have been dead in the water since the Senate and the Democratic-led White House. For example, the House defense spending bill would not allow the Pentagon to reimburse troops for abortion-related travel. Many troops and their families are stationed in states where abortion is currently illegal, so they must travel to get abortion care.

Democrats say the House Republicans’ actions have failed to learn from last year. Any spending bill that passes into law will require bipartisan support. They have described the House’s actions on spending bills as a waste of time because the bills have no chance in the Senate.

“Extreme MAGA Republicans are leading us toward a government shutdown,” warned Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries.

What is the situation in the Senate?

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray and the committee’s top Republican, Senator Susan Collins, spoke behind the scenes, negotiating total spending for defense and nondefense programs.

Both countries want to exceed the 1% increase in defense and other spending under the agreement reached by Biden and McCarthy.

Increasing the defense budget is a priority for some Republicans, but Murray insists on parity.

“Parity is the order of the day,” she said. “Because investing in our families, investing in our economy, investing in the safety and success of our communities is no less important than investing in the Pentagon.”

The committee is due to consider the first three spending bills on Thursday, and also set the maximum amount of money to be allocated to each of the 12 spending bills.

If the Senate goes beyond a 1% increase, it could complicate passage in the House, where many Republicans have viewed the spending limits as too generous. Months after the limits were approved as part of the debt-ceiling bill, eight Republicans sided with Democrats to oust then-Speaker McCarthy from his post.

Should I continue my career or wait until the next president takes office?

No one expects Congress to finish its spending bill before the new fiscal year begins on Oct. 1. That means lawmakers in both chambers will have to agree on a stopgap spending bill to keep government agencies operating for a few more weeks while they work out their differences.

Congress is not expected to be in session in October, so lawmakers could be home on the campaign trail. That means spending legislation will be pushed to November, possibly December, or pushed back for a new president and Congress to take up. Some Republicans believe they have a good chance of winning the Senate and the White House, so they should wait until next year to pass spending legislation.

But authorities have been pushing for spending restraint this year, saying if Republicans take over the Senate and the White House, they will want to focus on other priorities, including tax policy and the border.

“Whether we win the Senate or not, the filibuster is still there and it’s a real lever for both parties in the Senate,” Cole said. “So why force a new president who hasn’t even put his people in office to deal with this?”