By KEVIN FREKING (Associated Press)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Legislators presented a $1.2 trillion spending plan on Thursday to avoid a partial government shutdown for some important federal agencies this weekend and to enable Congress, almost six months into the budget year, to finish its work in funding the government until September.
Democrats were mostly able to reject numerous policy requirements and some of the larger budget reductions that House Republicans wanted to enforce on nondefense programs. However, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., highlighted some policy victories, such as a nearly 24% increase in detention beds for migrants awaiting their immigration proceedings or deportation from the country.
This year's spending bills were split into two packages. The first one was approved by Congress two weeks ago, just before a shutdown deadline for the agencies funded through the bills.
Now Congress is concentrating on the second, larger package, which includes about $886 billion for the Defense Department, approximately a 3% increase from last year's levels. The 1,012-page bill also funds the departments of Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, Labor, and others.
Nondefense spending will remain relatively steady compared to the prior year, although some, like the Environmental Protection Agency, are facing cuts, and many agencies will not see their budgets keep up with inflation.
When combining the two packages, discretionary spending for the budget year will amount to about $1.66 trillion. This does not cover programs such as Social Security and Medicare, as well as financing the country's increasing debt.
The House is expected to consider the measure first, on Friday. Then it would move to the Senate, where senators would need to agree to take it up quickly to avoid a partial shutdown. Typically, such agreements involve votes on proposed changes to the bill.
Johnson promoted the bill as a serious commitment to strengthening national defense by aligning the Pentagon with its core mission while enhancing support for those serving in the military. The bill includes a 5.2% pay raise for service members.
One of the changes Johnson mentioned for Republicans was blocking funding for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency until March 2025, which is the primary provider of food, water, and shelter to civilians in Gaza.
Republicans are firm on cutting off funding to the agency after Israel claimed that a dozen agency employees were involved in the attack conducted by Hamas in Israel on Oct. 7.
However, the ban worries some legislators because many aid agencies say there is no alternative to its ability to deliver the humanitarian assistance that the United States and others are trying to send to Gaza, where a quarter of the 2.3 million residents are malnourished.
Democrats also stressed that humanitarian aid will increase overall, though.
Sen. Patty Murray, the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, also emphasized a $1 billion increase for Head Start programs and new child care centers for military families. Furthermore, Democrats highlighted a $120 million boost in funding for cancer research and a $100 million increase for Alzheimer's research.
Murray, who is from Washington, said that they were able to prevent severe budget cuts that would have harmed American families and the economy.
She also stated that Democrats successfully blocked numerous policy measures, referred to as riders, that House Republicans wanted to include.
She also mentioned that from the beginning of the process, she made it clear that there would be no extreme, far-right riders to limit women's reproductive freedoms and they were successful in keeping to that commitment.
House Republicans managed to include a provision that allows only the American flag and “other official flags” to be flown over U.S. diplomatic facilities. However, the Biden administration had allowed U.S. embassies to fly the pride flag or light up with rainbow colors in support of the LGBTQ community.
There is also a provision that stops the Consumer Product Safety Commission from prohibiting gas stoves. However, the White House has stated that President Joe Biden does not support a ban, and the commission has confirmed that there was no such ban planned.
The spending in the bill closely follows an agreement made in May 2023 between former Speaker Kevin McCarthy and the White House, which limited spending for two years and suspended the debt ceiling until January 2025 so that the federal government could continue paying its bills.
McCarthy, from California, was removed from the speaker’s role a few months after finalizing the debt ceiling deal. Eight Republicans joined with Democrats in removing McCarthy as speaker. Some of those who were unhappy with the debt ceiling deal also expressed concerns about the latest package.
Rep. Bob Good, a Republican from Virginia, said that he doesn't anticipate significant policy wins given the past history and the party's unwillingness to use any leverage to achieve policy wins.
The work on the spending bills has been more bipartisan in the Senate. Murray and Sen. Susan Collins, from Maine, issued a joint statement after the bill’s release, praising the package of bills and urging colleagues to vote for it.
Murray and Collins emphasized that there is no need for a shutdown or chaos, and urged members of Congress to promptly pass the six bills, which they believe will greatly benefit every state in America and reflect important priorities of many Senators.
Johnson mentioned that following the passing of the spending package, the House's focus would shift to a bill aimed at assisting Ukraine and Israel. However, lawmakers are scheduled to be away from Washington for the next two weeks. The Senate has already approved a $95.3 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, but Johnson has chosen not to bring it up for a vote.
