By Emelie Rutherford
House Republicans are balking at Democrats’ plans to try to pass, before the GOP takes control of the chamber in January, a $1 trillion-plus continuing resolution funding the Pentagon and rest of the federal government next year.
When Congress resumes for a lame-duck session in two weeks, one of the first things House Democrats are expected to do is consider a resolution further extending the federal government’s budget for fiscal year 2011, which began Oct. 1. The government is temporarily running under a continuing resolution, which President Barack Obama approved Sept. 30, that keeps spending at FY ’10 levels through Dec. 3. Thus, new defense programs and contracts cannot be initiated.
Democratic appropriations aides, during the current congressional recess, have considered an omnibus continuing resolution that would cost more than $1 trillion and contain all 12 federal government appropriations bills, including defense.
Republicans reportedly had vented about being left out of discussions last month. And now that the GOP will control the House come January, because of election wins on Tuesday, House Appropriations Committee (HAC) Ranking Member Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.) is sounding alarms about any omnibus resolution. Lewis could chair the HAC starting in January if his GOP colleagues allow him to work around current term-limit rules preventing him from doing so.
Lewis told current HAC Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.) in a letter yesterday that “any effort by you or the present Democrat leadership to move a budget-busting omnibus spending measure will be met with my unequivocal opposition.”
“The unmistakable message sent by the American people on Tuesday is that they are justifiably angry at Washington,” Lewis wrote to Obey, who is retiring from Congress this year. “They want Congress to cut spending.”
Republican lawmakers have called for government spending to return to FY ’08 levels.
Lewis pledged to be more disciplined with the appropriations bills’ funding amounts and “proceed under an open, regular order process that respects the rights of all members to participate in the legislative process.”
Lewis lamented that the full HAC has not considered 10 of the 12 appropriations bills this year, including the FY ’11 defense spending measure, which the House Appropriations Defense subcommittee marked up behind closed doors in July (Defense Daily, July 28).
The California Republican instructed his staff to not enter into negotiations with House and Senate Democratic aides who discussed an omnibus spending bill when lawmakers were gone from Washington in October.
“Committee Republicans are ready to begin cutting spending immediately,” Lewis said to Obey. “Congress should not wait to do next year what we can begin in earnest today.”
Lewis pledged to “strongly encourage every Republican Member of the Committee, my leadership, and the entire Republican Conference to oppose” a $1 trillion-plus omnibus spending bill from Democrats.
Obey’s spokesman could not be reached for comment.
Many defense-minded House Republicans have called for bolstering, not cutting, defense spending.
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), who is poised to become House speaker in January, joined other Republicans in releasing “A Pledge to America” this fall. The agenda, among other things, demands Congress pass “clean” war-funding bills without delay ad criticizes Obama’s new plan for sea-based missile defense around Europe.