House easily passes spending package as lawmakers work to avoid another shutdown

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House passed a bipartisan package of three spending bills on Thursday that would fund parts of the federal government through September, demonstrating the eagerness of lawmakers to avoid another government shutdown near the end of the month.

Congress has so far passed only three of the 12 annual spending bills that fund federal agencies for the current fiscal year. Failure to pass the remainder before a Jan. 30th deadline risks another shutdown just weeks after the record-setting, 43-day shutdown that occurred late last year.

Leaders from both parties endorsed the latest measure, signaling that passage is likely in the Senate as well, belatedly getting Congress halfway home in completing their work on this year’s spending bills. The White House also has endorsed the measure, calling it a “fiscally responsible bill.”

The package covers such agencies as the Interior Department, the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Departments of Commerce and Justice. It passed by an overwhelming vote of 397-28, an unusual display of unity when it comes to government spending.

Both parties claim victories

The price tag of the bills, which Republicans put at roughly $175 billion, comes in below current levels, generating savings for taxpayers, GOP lawmakers said. Democrats countered that they were able to negotiate spending levels far above what the Trump administration had requested and removed scores of policy riders that they say would have weakened gun safety regulations, expanded oil and gas leasing on federal lands and took aim at LGBTQ and racial equity policies.

Importantly, Democrats said, the measure also includes legally binding spending requirements that restrain the White House’s ability to withhold or delay funds for programs Trump opposes. Trump’s first year in office was met with scores of lawsuits from states, cities and nonprofits who accused the administration of undertaking unlawful power grabs.

“This legislation is a forceful rejection of draconian cuts to public services proposed by the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee.

The Senate would also have to pass the measure before President Donald Trump could sign it into law. But the bill has bipartisan backing in that chamber, too.

“Republicans are strongest when we stay focused, Democrats are more effective when they negotiate in good faith, and the country is better off when Republicans and Democrats work together,” Rep. Tom Cole, the Republican chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said in urging colleagues to vote for the bill.

Funding work is well behind schedule

In recent years, Congress has generally lumped all the spending bills into one or two measures, often voted on before lawmakers left Washington for the holidays. Lawmakers say such a process makes it easier to include provisions that couldn’t pass muster on their own.

Johnson has called for returning to a time when Congress takes up the 12 spending bills separately, though he’s finding it easier said than done. The fiscal year began Oct. 1 and Congress is still debating full-year funding for most federal agencies.

Democrats listed various priorities they were able to maintain or increase funding for, despite the administration’s opposition. For example, a program to make homes more energy efficient for low-income Americans got a $3 million boost, instead of being eliminated as proposed by Trump. The EPA, a frequent Trump target, gets $8.8 billion. That’s more than double what Trump sought.

Republicans had voiced concerns about some earmarks in the bill, now called community funding projects. To ease those concerns, a nearly $1.5 million earmark obtained by Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., was removed from the bill. It would have funded a Somali-led organization’s efforts to provide job training and peer support services for those struggling with addiction.

Republicans have been intensely focused on allegations of fraud by day care centers run by Somali residents. Those allegations are still being investigated. Omar has urged people not to blame an entire community for the actions of a relative few.