Senate Moves Closer to Passing Shorter-Term CR, but Support Among House GOP Unclear
Todd Jacobson
GHG Monitor
9/27/13
As the federal government braces for a potential shutdown, Senate Democrats moved closer this week to passing a shortened Continuing Resolution to continue to fund the federal government heading into Fiscal Year 2014. With only days before the end of the current fiscal year, the partisan dispute is threatening to shut down the government; if stopgap funding legislation is not signed into law by Sept. 30, the government won’t have money as FY 2014 begins the next day. The Senate is expected to vote as early as today on its version of the bill, which pares back the length of the Continuing Resolution, setting the legislation’s expiration date at Nov. 15 rather than the Dec. 15 deadline established in a House version of the bill passed last week. The Senate version is also expected to strip out controversial House provisions that would have defunded the Affordable Care Act.
The House will have to vote again on the amended legislation by Sept. 30, and while some GOP House members have threatened to push to defund the health care law, there was growing sentiment to push back those negotiations, perhaps by agreeing to an even shorter CR. “We’re not interested in a government shutdown,” House Republican Policy Committee Chairman James Lankford (R-Okla.) told reporters. “That’s not something we’re trying to create. So if we can come to some kind of agreement and do just a short-term piece while we’re working on language, fine. But if not, we’re stuck.” As proposed, the Senate bill maintains the funding rates established by the House legislation, which would limit government spending at a rate of $986.3 billion, which is slightly less than the current, post-sequestration level.
Senate Dems: Short-Term CR Eases Omnibus
Senate Democrats said the shorter term CR would provide more impetus to pass omnibus spending legislation that could also replace sequestration for two years. “I am for a short-term CR, so my goal would be that in December we are voting on an omnibus, and that we are voting to cancel sequester for two years,” Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) said. “So I am looking for a clean CR, a short-term CR that gets us, say from sometime in November to December, to accomplish the omnibus part and the cancellation of the sequester.”
If the House wants to change anything in the Senate version of the bill, time is of the essence, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) warned. “They may want to change something in this, and we believe that if they have to do that—I don’t think they should, but if they feel they have to—get it back to us. Each hour that we waste is one less hour that we’ll have an opportunity to look at this,” Reid said.
Administration Begins Planning for Shutdown
As the potential for a government shutdown looms larger, the White House Office of Management and Budget directed agencies to inform employees by the end of the week if they would be furloughed in the event of a shutdown next week. Agencies are also required to post their shutdown plans online by the end of the week. In a Sept. 27 memo, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said DOE is continuing to update its plans in the event of a shutdown. “At this time, unless otherwise notified by your managers, by Monday, September 30, all DOE federal employees are expected to report to work on October 1 unless you have previously approved leave,” he said. “We will advise further as we finalize our plans and have greater clarity about Congressional action.”
