The House on Thursday passed a bipartisan package of three annual funding bills, taking another step toward funding federal agencies ahead of a January 30 shutdown deadline.
The bills would provide funding through September 30 for the departments of Commerce, Energy, Interior and Justice as well as the Environmental Protection Agency and federal water development and science programs.
The vote came after the package ran into opposition from conservative Republicans, who objected to earmarks in the legislation, most notably a $1 million allocation for a Somali community organization in the district of Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. The deal to resolve those objections saw the Omar earmark removed, with House leaders promising GOP hardliners more visibility into earmarks in upcoming funding measures.
“Going forward, we’re going to be allowed a little more access to the bills and the ability to have an impact on them in the future,” Rep. Andy Harris, chair of the House Freedom Caucus, told reporters.
The deal to advance the three-bill “minibus” also involved splitting the package into two separate votes, which allowed the hardliners to formally register their opposition to elements of the Commerce-Justice-Science bill.
Once the two parts of the package advanced, the combined bills were passed in a 397-28 vote, sending them to the Senate, where a vote could come as soon as next week.
The bottom line: Congress has only passed three of the 12 required annual spending bills so far. This latest package would double the total once it clears the Senate. But the path ahead is likely to be rockier, particularly for the big bills covering Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services and Education. Congress may need to pass another stopgap spending bill to avoid a partial shutdown, but Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democratic appropriator in the House, reportedly said Tuesday that she is confident that a new continuing resolution won’t be needed.