HOUSE PASSES SIX-MONTH, $1.047 TRILLION SPENDING MEASURE

Senate Expected to Take Up Continuing Resolution Next Week

Tamar Hallerman
GHG Monitor
09/14/12

The House cleared a stop-gap spending measure this week that would fund federal agencies through the end of March with slightly higher spending levels than those currently enacted. The lower chamber quickly passed the $1.047 trillion six-month Continuing Resolution (CR) Thursday night on a vote of 329-91 with relatively little political wrangling. If cleared by the Senate, which is expected to occur next week, federal agencies like the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency will be able to operate from the beginning of FY2013 on Oct. 1 through March 27, 2013 with spending allocations 0.6 percent above levels enacted for FY2012. The CR was sold as a “clean” measure, largely free of controversial policy riders. A select few provisions tacked onto the bill would allow more funding for nuclear weapons modernization efforts and for wildfire suppression efforts.

While the CR will likely mean budget rigidity for many programs and projects managed by federal agencies, the measure could be a boon for some offices facing the possibility of budget cuts. For example, DOE’s Fossil Energy R&D program could see more financial stability with the CR—which would maintain the program’s $534 million funding level from FY2012—compared to lower FY2013 levels being proposed. In the Energy-Water spending bill cleared by the Senate Appropriations Committee in April, the program would be funded with $460.58 million for FY2013, while the Obama Administration’s budget request asks for even less at $420.58 million. The program, however, could win out if the House ultimately gets its way with a final FY2013 spending measure. In June the lower chamber passed a version of the spending bill that would allocate $554 million to Fossil Energy R&D.

Members Put Off Hard Choices Until 2013

By passing the six-month stop-gap measure, legislators punted a larger political fight over federal spending until next year, allowing for members to campaign for reelection in their districts without the threat of an impending government shutdown on the table. The deal came through with relatively little partisan bickering due to a deal struck between both parties last month: conservatives accepted the higher discretionary spending level of $1.047 trillion that Democrats wanted in order to gamble on having more of a majority in Congress—and potentially a Republican president and more political leverage—after the election. Congressional Democrats had criticized Republicans earlier this year for writing their budget language using a $1.028 trillion cap on discretionary spending, $19 billion less than the levels agreed to by both parties in debt ceiling negotiations rubber stamped last summer.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) said he was disappointed that Congress had to resort to funding the federal government through a temporary measure, blaming the Senate for not acting on the seven spending bills passed earlier this year by the House. “While important, this bill essentially punts on the core duty of Congress to complete its annual Appropriations and budget work,” he said in a statement. “Our founding fathers and our Constitution have spelled out a more responsible way to allocate the People’s money—through individual, annual Appropriations bills. It is imperative to our nation’s future and to our finances that we return to a timely regular order of business on such important funding legislation.” Rogers did call the CR, though, a “good-faith effort” to provide “limited, yet fair and adequate” funding for government programs. 

The Appropriations Committee’s ranking member, the retiring Norm Dicks (D-Wash.), stressed that Congress needs to start passing appropriations bills instead of relying on temporary CRs to fund federal programs. “A continuing resolution does not provide the guidance federal programs need to operate effectively,” he said in a statement. “However, I am happy to report that no additional partisan or special interest riders have been added to this CR. Although I would much prefer to be considering an omnibus bill, this is truly a bipartisan product and I urge my colleagues to support it.” The Obama Administration also spoke out in favor of the CR Sept. 12. “Reflecting a compromise, the legislation adheres to the funding level agreed to by both parties and excludes ideological or extraneous policy riders that have no place in funding legislation,” the White House said in a statement of administration policy.