Republican plans to use various policy riders in spending bills to take on the White House is proving difficult even as the Republicans have largely abandoned any offsets for bills that add to the deficit in moving tax reform legislation and dealing with the upcoming sequester cuts.
Republican plans to use various policy riders in spending bills to take on the White House is proving difficult even as the Republicans have largely abandoned any offsets for bills that add to the deficit in moving tax reform legislation and dealing with the upcoming sequester cuts. After the first six weeks of the 114th Congress, they’ve hit Presidents’ Day recess deadlocked over a $39.7 billion Homeland Security fiscal 2015 spending bill even as current funding is due to expire on February 27. A Republican push to move House-passed funding legislation (HR 240) with immigration riders attached has faced sharp resistance from Senate Democrats, who have blocked any action due to the add-on provisions. The standoff raises doubts about the GOP strategy, who have said the appropriations process gives the party their best opportunity to take on the administration’s policies. How the Homeland Security funding fight plays out will likely shape how both parties approach the fiscal 2016 spending bills. Each side is hoping that pressure from constituents back home, as well as the urgency of an impending government shutdown, could soften lawmakers’ positions.