House Republicans Tuesday introduced a spending bill that would keep the government funded until April 28, 2017, but also includes controversial language aimed at speeding up consideration of a waiver for retired Gen. James Mattis, who President-elect Trump has selected to serve as his defense secretary.
The bill, which must pass both the House and Senate, sets annual spending in accordance with a $1.07 annual budget cap. It includes sweeteners for Democrats, such $170 million for Flint, Mich., where lead has contaminated the water supply and $45 million to provide healthcare for retired coal miners.
But the waiver language for Mattis could complicate passage. Democrats today pledged to oppose any bill that includes a waiver, although the spending bill appears to only expedite that vote in the House and Senate.
While the language would speed up the process of passing legislation giving Mattis a waiver, passage would have to be done by a three-fifths vote in the Senate.
In the House, Democratic opposition may not matter because Republicans hold a significant majority. But the Senate will require 60 votes for passage Democrats there have begun to line up against the waiver. Senate Republicans will need to line up all of their GOP lawmakers and pick off six Democrats to pass the measure, which would likely be signed by President Obama because it would clear Congress just one day before current funding runs out on Dec. 9.
In addition to the provision regarding Mattis, the spending bill includes $4.1 million for disaster relief for drought and flood-stricken regions of the country.
It also increases military spending. The bill includes an additional $8 billion in additional defense spending over what is now included in a stopgap spending measure that expires this week.
“This legislation is just a band aid, but a critical one,” said Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers, R-Ky. “It will give the next Congress the time to complete the annual Appropriations process, and in the meantime, take care of immediate national funding needs.”
The bill also includes $872 million to fund many of the programs in the medical innovation bill that cleared Congress on Monday. And, it blocks a pay increase for members of Congress.
The legislation also includes provisions that would allow funding for:
- The Ohio Class Submarine Replacement program to avoid delays that would increase costs.
- Apache Attack Helicopter and Black Hawk Helicopter multiyear procurements to avoid delays that would increase costs.
- The KC-46A Tanker program to avoid delays that would increase costs.
- Critical nuclear weapons activities.
- The continuation of Homeland Security operations, including border security, immigration enforcement, aviation security, and the protection of the President-elect.
- Housing and care of Unaccompanied Alien Children after February 1, 2017. Due to the variability in the increased number of children coming into the country, it is possible that additional funds may be needed at that time.
- NASA’s Deep Space Exploration program to avoid delays that would increase long-term costs.
- The Joint Polar Satellite System programs, ensuring the continuation of data for weather warnings, including forecasts of severe weather events.
- The operation of a summer nutrition program for low-income children.
- The availability of District of Columbia school vouchers in time for the next academic year.
Elsewhere, the bill includes language to:
- Continue Federal Aviation Administration air travel operations and safety activities.
- Require the Department of Transportation to follow the existing 34-hour restart “Hours of Service” rule for truck drivers to ensure continuity in federal rest regulations, should the report on the rule (mandated in prior Acts) not meet the criteria set by Congress.
- Provide $45 million, fully offset, for continued health care benefits for certain retired miners under the United Mine Workers Association 1993 Benefit Plan. This is necessary to prevent the loss of health care coverage for these miners and their families, scheduled to expire on December 31, 2016.
