Top Senate negotiators in the budget talks for fiscal year 2022 said Wednesday that a deal is now within sight.
“We have reached an understanding on the framework, which lets us go to the next step,” Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL), the ranking member on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said. “I believe this is a breakthrough in a bipartisan way.” The framework will allow negotiators to produce topline numbers for defense and non-defense spending, one of the main sticking points in the talks.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Patrick Leahy (D-VT) confirmed the progress. “I’m far more optimistic than I’ve been in months and I think we’re on a path to finish something,” Leahy told reporters.
House Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) said the agreement will enable negotiators to move quickly. “I am pleased that we have reached agreement on a framework, which will allow our subcommittees to get to work on finalizing an omnibus,” she said.
None of the lawmakers provided further details on the topline numbers. The Senate is expected to take up the short-term bill passed by the House on Tuesday which would keep the government funded after February 18, when the current stop-gap bill expires, until March 11. That should give negotiators sufficient time to finalize appropriations for the 2022 fiscal year, which have been frozen in the absence of an agreement.
The bottom line: Passing an appropriations package for 2022 will allow President Joe Biden to put his stamp on spending at the federal agencies, which are still operating under instructions put in place by former President Donald Trump. The bill is expected to provide a boost for defense spending, albeit more than the White House requested, and an increase for various social programs related to Biden’s domestic agenda. It would also unlock billions in spending provided by the bipartisan infrastructure bill signed into law last fall.