Negotiators Say They’ve Reached ‘Breakthrough’ in Government Funding Talks

February 9, 2022 by Dan McCue
Negotiators Say They’ve Reached ‘Breakthrough’ in Government Funding Talks
Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., acknowledges applause as his wife, Marcelle Pomerleau, applauds at the conclusion of a news conference at the Vermont State House to announce he will not seek reelection, Monday, Nov. 15, 2021, in Montpelier, Vt. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)

WASHINGTON— House and Senate appropriators announced Wednesday that they’ve agreed on a framework for approving a fiscal year 2022 spending plan.

Though they offered little insight into what the framework is, the chairs of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees said it will allow them to negotiate the details of the final omnibus legislation and get it signed into law by the new March 11 government funding deadline.

“The framework … will allow our subcommittees to get to work finalizing an omnibus,” said House Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn.

“We will now proceed with great intensity to enact legislation making transformative investments to create good-paying American jobs, grow opportunity for the middle class, support the vulnerable who work hard and protect our national security,” she said,

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said the agreement will allow for investments in communities and provide increases for health care, education, national security and investment in the middle class, among other priorities.

“In any successful negotiation, both sides have to compromise, and this agreement is no different. But I believe we reached a strong, bipartisan agreement that will allow us to make significant investments in the American people and our communities,” Leahy said, adding, “I look forward to crafting a bill that will receive strong support in both chambers in the coming weeks.”

The formal announcement of the deal came a little over an hour after Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., the senior Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, let word of it slip to reporters in the Senate subway.

As originally reported by The Hill, Shelby said top-line spending numbers for defense and nondefense discretionary programs, which have been a major sticking point in the talks, will come from the framework.

He told the Capitol Hill newspaper that the development was “big,” but declined to go into further detail or comment specifically on whether the disagreement between Democratic and Republican negotiators over policy riders had been resolved.

He added that the framework deal “puts us in a great position to move forward.”

“I’m far more optimistic than I’ve been in months and I think we’re on a path to finish something,” Shelby said.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was also buoyed by the news, calling it “an important step to strengthen our economic and national security as we meet the needs of the American people.”

“This framework will allow our nation to make bold new investments in American workers and American families while creating good-paying jobs,” Pelosi said. “When the Congress enacts this omnibus, we will also unlock the increased federal funding included in our Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which will transform our roads, bridges, water systems, airports, broadband and more as we revitalize our middle class.”

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and at https://twitter.com/DanMcCue.

A+
a-

In The News

Health

Voting

Federal Budget

Senate Passes $1.2T Funding Package in Early Morning Vote

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate passed a $1.2 trillion package of spending bills in the early morning hours Saturday, a long overdue... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate passed a $1.2 trillion package of spending bills in the early morning hours Saturday, a long overdue action nearly six months into the budget year that will push any threats of a government shutdown to the fall. The bill now goes to President... Read More

March 21, 2024
by Dan McCue
$1.2T Spending Plan Unveiled Ahead of Saturday Shutdown Deadline

WASHINGTON — House and Senate leaders released an over-$1.2 trillion, six-bill appropriations package early Thursday morning, giving lawmakers less than... Read More

WASHINGTON — House and Senate leaders released an over-$1.2 trillion, six-bill appropriations package early Thursday morning, giving lawmakers less than 48 hours to pass it ahead of the midnight Friday deadline to avoid a partial government shutdown. The 1,012-page package, which was released just before 3... Read More

House Tees Up Vote to Keep Money Flowing to Several Key Federal Agencies

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House is expected to vote to keep money flowing to scores of federal agencies before a... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House is expected to vote to keep money flowing to scores of federal agencies before a midnight Friday shutdown deadline even as many members of the Republican conference are expected to vote against it. The first package of six bills expected to... Read More

March 1, 2024
by Dan McCue
Senate Approves Stopgap Spending Extension, Averting Shutdown

WASHINGTON — The Senate on Thursday night voted in favor of a “laddered” proposal from the House to extend funding... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Senate on Thursday night voted in favor of a “laddered” proposal from the House to extend funding for some federal departments and agencies through March 8 and the rest through March 22. The 77-13 vote, which came just hours after the Republican-led House... Read More

February 29, 2024
by Dan McCue
House Passes Short-Term Spending Bill to Avert Shutdown

WASHINGTON — The House on Thursday overwhelmingly approved a two-tiered short-term spending bill to avert a partial government shutdown this... Read More

WASHINGTON — The House on Thursday overwhelmingly approved a two-tiered short-term spending bill to avert a partial government shutdown this weekend. The measure now moves to the Senate, where Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has said it could pass as soon as tonight. House Speaker Mike... Read More

February 23, 2024
by Dan McCue
Government Begins Preparing for Partial Shutdown

WASHINGTON — Federal agencies got their first concrete indication the threat of a looming government shutdown is getting serious on... Read More

WASHINGTON — Federal agencies got their first concrete indication the threat of a looming government shutdown is getting serious on Friday, as the White House Office of Management and Budget began circulating its guidance to those who will be impacted if lawmakers fail to reach a... Read More

News From The Well
scroll top