House eyes vote early next week on bipartisan CR

WASHINGTON — The House is gearing up to go first on a bipartisan stopgap funding package early next week after nailing down the particulars this weekend, lawmakers said Thursday.

The measure would extend current funding levels, with some “anomalies” allowing for higher rates, likely through Dec. 13, a source familiar with the talks said. The plan is to be ready to go with text of the package over the weekend so members can have time to review it before voting early next week.

Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, a senior Appropriations Committee member, said he expects the continuing resolution to hit the floor around “the first of the week.” The deadline to get a bill through both chambers without triggering a partial government shutdown is Sept. 30, though it is more like Friday, Sept. 27, since that’s the last scheduled day in session.

Simpson said there was some discussion of going an extra week beyond Dec. 13, but that there was basic agreement not to interfere with the holidays. “I’d like to have it done before (Dec. 31) so we can actually have our appropriations staff have a Christmas,” he said.

Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., earlier Thursday teed up a separate legislative vehicle in his chamber that could be used to carry a bipartisan deal in case of any House holdups.

But it appeared that by Thursday afternoon, House Republicans were on board with avoiding a shutdown, even if it meant making tough concessions to the other side.

The package won’t contain controversial voting restrictions that were included in the prior iteration that went down to defeat Wednesday night. While those election security measures were a key demand from former President Donald Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson advocated forcefully for them, ultimately there was no path to getting 218 votes in the House and 60 in the Senate.

Simpson said Johnson advised Trump that a shutdown wouldn’t be good for him politically. And while Johnson preferred a six-month extension to punt final decisions into the New Year – presumably with a beefier GOP majority and Trump in the Oval Office – Simpson said there was a realization that the Senate wouldn’t accept that outcome.

The end-date needs to be earlier because, “otherwise, the Senate’s going to write one and jam us,” Simpson said.

Johnson wouldn’t comment during votes Thursday.

Aides to the top congressional leaders and appropriators began discussions on a bipartisan package shortly after Johnson’s bill was defeated. Johnson had maintained that a vote on the initial Trump-blessed plan was needed before any consideration of a Plan B.

Now that that’s behind them, talks have picked up steam, with paper being traded back and forth.

“We had to get to the point saying, ‘OK staff, sit down and sort things out,’ which is where we’re at,” House Appropriations ranking member Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., said Thursday.

Earlier in the day, Senate Appropriations ranking member Susan Collins, R-Maine, said she’d received a proposal from Democrats and that appropriators in that chamber were “in the initial stages” of talks.

The contents of the anomalies and other legislative add-ons were still under discussion, lawmakers said. DeLauro said Democrats were still pressing for the full $12 billion requested to alleviate a veterans health care shortfall, as well as $24 billion in disaster aid.

GOP appropriators said there was a better chance for a disaster aid package being broken out separately and passing during the lame-duck session.

“I think there’ll be a separate disaster relief bill” before Christmas, said Simpson, the House’s Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee “cardinal.”

Assuming the House passes a bill early next week, the Senate would still have to jump through some procedural hoops to get a bill to President Joe Biden’s desk in time.

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