Senate Advances Appropriations "Minibus" as McCarthy Tries to Avoid Shutdown
Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) on Sept. 13 pitched House Republicans on a “minibus” spending package including the Military Construction-VA, Defense and Homeland Security appropriations bills, along with disaster relief funding, as a way to move forward as tensions in the conference threaten a government shutdown. The House postponed the vote to begin debate on a defense appropriations bill, casting doubt on the chamber's ability to pass its remaining government funding bills ahead of a Sept. 30 deadline.
Meanwhile on the Senate side, Senators voted on Sept. 12 to advance their own minibus package covering the Military Construction-VA, Agriculture-FDA and Transportation-HUD spending bills. Though the Senate appropriations bills have bipartisan support, they could face a complex path forward, depending on the number of amendments lawmakers offer. Read more
here.