Legislative Activity

House and Senate Budget Conference

The House and Senate Budget Committees are working towards a budget resolution that will pass both the House and the Senate. The Budget Committee Chairmen, Representative Tom Price (R-GA) and Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), returned early from the two-week recess to discuss the budget resolutions, as they try to negotiate an agreement. Both Chairmen had wanted to finalize a budget agreement by the April 15 deadline, but it seems unlikely to happen given that they still need to appoint conference committee members, finish negotiating the agreement, and vote on the final resolution. Missing the deadline has few consequences, and the Chairmen are expected to appoint conferees this week.

While both the House and Senate budget resolutions would balance the budget within ten years and would add around $96 billion in defense spending, there are significant differences between the resolutions that still need to be resolved. The Senate resolution included a procedural provision subjecting $38 billion in defense spending to a “point of order,” which defense hawks and House negotiators want removed.

The point of order would effectively require 60 votes in the Senate to approve the funds, and defense hawks are concerned that Republicans will lack the necessary Democratic votes. Democrats have been calling for an increase in domestic discretionary spending to match any defense spending increase. It is unclear if fiscal hawks in the Senate would vote for the final resolution without the point of order, which they view as necessary to ensure that increased defense spending would not add to the deficit.

Passing a final budget resolution is important to Republicans as they seek to show that they can govern while in control of both houses of Congress; it will also allow them to use a process known as reconciliation to send Obamacare repeal to the President’s desk. Reconciliation does not require 60 votes in the Senate.

House Subcommittees to Mark Up Appropriations Bills

The House appropriations committee Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Energy and Water Development subcommittees will hold markup hearings on their respective appropriations bills this week. The bills will likely be the first to reach the House floor, during the week of April 27, and will be debated under regular order allowing Members to offer a large number of amendments. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has warned House Representatives they may be holding votes late into the evenings on the appropriations bills.

The Military Construction-Veterans Affairs bill will be easier to move, as it usually garners large bipartisan levels of support. The Energy-Water bill will be more difficult given the Republicans’ frustration with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), even though the EPA is not funded through the bill, and Republicans may add controversial policy riders to the bill.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY) has said he wants to move all 12 appropriations bills through Congress by October 1, the start of fiscal year 2016. However, President Obama has stated he will not sign appropriations bills that follow the sequestration limits, advocating for a budget deal to raise both defense and domestic discretionary spending above the limits; Democrats and defense hawks also want to increase spending.

This Week’s Hearings:

• Wednesday, April 15: The Senate Appropriations Committee Homeland Security Subcommittee will hold a hearing titled “From Protection to Partnership: Funding the DHS role in Cybersecurity.”

• Wednesday, April 15: The House Appropriations Committee Defense Subcommittee will hold a Members Day hearing on the fiscal year 2016 budget.

• Wednesday, April 15: The House Appropriations Committee Energy and Water Development Subcommittee will hold a markup hearing on the Energy-Water Appropriations bill.

• Wednesday, April 15: The House Appropriations Committee Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee will hold a markup hearing on the Military Construction-Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill.

Senate Appropriations Committee FY 2016 Budget Hearings

• Wednesday, April 15: The Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for Combatant Commanders for Select Defense Agencies.

• Thursday, April 16: The Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the Department of Education.

• Thursday, April 16: The Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

House Appropriations Committee FY 2016 Budget Hearings

• Tuesday, April 14: The Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for Early Education programs.

• Tuesday, April 14: The Defense Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the Defense Health Program.

• Wednesday, April 15: The Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for Ebola programs.

• Wednesday, April 15: The Homeland Security Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

• Wednesday, April 15: The Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the Securities and Exchange Commission.

• Wednesday, April 15: The State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the United Nations and International Organizations.

Timothy Drake also contributed content for this article.