As summer rockets past, lawmakers focus on recess instead of their job. Once again, Congress will lock its doors and head off to vacation without passing funding bills.
Republicans wanted to pass all 12 yearly funding bills before their August break. However, their schedule has been delayed because leaders have postponed votes on bills for the Department of Agriculture and financial services due to worries about hidden pork related to reproductive rights.
A Republican member of the House told The Hill that the leader’s office clearly stated there would be no votes next week. Others have heard that votes will likely be canceled, too.
This would be different from what Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) promised when he became Speaker last fall: the House wouldn’t take a break without passing all 12 bills.
If this sounds familiar, it should. In the past three years, Congress has consistently faced challenges in passing spending bills on time. The budget process often involves delays, continuing resolutions, and last-minute negotiations. While efforts have been made to improve efficiency, the track record remains less than ideal.
Republicans are trying to get their yearly spending bills for the Department of Energy and other programs voted on this week. If they succeed, they will have passed half of their annual funding plans for the government.
These bills focus more on Republican ideas than those being worked on in the Democratic-led Senate, where they need 60 votes to pass most bills.
However, it’s uncertain if House Republicans can pass the rest of their funding bills because the disagreements that stopped them from passing their 2024 funding plans have come up again.
A bill to fund Washington, D.C., which includes money for emergency planning, security, and other programs, is facing pushback from some moderate Republicans. They are hesitant to pass the bill because of a party-supported effort to change a D.C. law that protects employees’ reproductive rights.
This proposal was one of the reasons the party had trouble passing the same funding bill last year. If it stays the same, moderates might not support the bill again.
Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) said he voted against the bill last year for several reasons, including this one, and still opposes that part. If it stays in the bill, he will vote against it again.
Earlier this month, a small group of Republicans stopped the party from passing a bill to fund Congress.
Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), chair of the House Appropriations Committee, told reporters that some Republicans had “pro-life” concerns about changes to the agriculture funding bill, which they were supposed to vote on this week.
Earlier this year, Republicans left out language in the funding bill that would have limited access to the abortion pill mifepristone after a similar effort failed due to opposition from moderate members.
Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), who leads the subcommittee that works on the bill, said he was confident it would pass. He mentioned that the legislation “decreases funding” and explained that the vote was delayed because Congress was preparing for a speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Harris, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, said that the main reasons the bill didn’t pass last year have been removed. He doesn’t think there will be a problem with it now, even though it doesn’t include the mifepristone language.
But other Republican lawmakers disagree. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), a member of the House Freedom Caucus, identified that issue as just one of the problems. He believes figuring things out and understanding the overall goals is essential. He thinks the bill is stuck, and they’ll have to wait and see what happens next.
House GOP leaders had planned to vote on the annual Justice Department funding bill this week. However, Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) said it’s always tough to pass, especially since funding for the FBI’s headquarters is a big issue.
Some conservatives were upset about including money for a new FBI headquarters in a larger 2024 government funding package. The bill passed Congress despite strong opposition from the party’s right-wing members.
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) said leaders should take as much time as needed to agree on the remaining funding bills. He thinks they are delaying votes because they don’t have enough support.
But time is, once again, running out.
The next deadline to avoid a government shutdown is January 19, 2024. On that day, funding for agriculture, energy, water, military construction, veterans affairs, transportation, and housing programs will run out. After that, the rest of the government’s funding will end on February 2, 2024.