House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) outlined an ambitious plan Wednesday to pass a dozen partisan funding bills before August, an arduous feat that will force swing-district Republicans to vote on budget cuts and touchy policy issues just months ahead of Election Day.
The tentative summer agenda, detailed during a House GOP closed-door meeting, endeavors to pass all 12 funding bills in June and July.
It illustrates a tricky balance Republican leaders have to navigate — government funding expires on Oct. 1, and they’re looking to report some progress before then despite the likelihood that spending levels will get punted past the election. But at least a handful of those measures could easily reignite intra-GOP tensions, as demonstrated by their failed attempt to pass five of the bills last year, potentially embarrassing party leadership just months ahead of November.
The tentative timeline, as outlined by Scalise:
Week of June 3: Military Construction-VA
Week of June 24: Homeland Security, Defense and State-Foreign Operations
Week of July 8: Legislative Branch
Week of July 22: Commerce-Justice-Science, Agriculture-FDA, Interior-Environment and Financial Services
Week of July 29: Energy-Water, Transportation-HUD and Labor-HHS-Education
Besides funding cuts for many non-defense agencies, controversial policy issues like banning mail delivery of abortion pills are likely to snag certain measures like the Agriculture-FDA funding bill. Sensitive policy language also vexes the packages that fund transportation, housing and health programs, as well as the Departments of Commerce, Treasury and Education.
House Republicans are using overall funding totals that would cut non-defense programs by about 6 percent, while boosting military spending by about 1 percent, for the fiscal year that begins on Oct. 1.
Even if House GOP leaders succeed in passing the full slate of 12 bills, final funding negotiations with Senate leaders and the White House are not expected to begin in earnest until post-election, when there’s more certainty about the next president and future makeup of Congress. Lawmakers are expected to clear a stopgap spending patch before government funding expires on Sept. 30.
