Tensions Rise as Omnibus Bill Negotiations Stall
Started by Robert M
McConnell and other GOP leaders are preparing for weekend work as the calendar continues to change. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)
Congress will most certainly miss its Friday
deadline to wrap up an omnibus spending package to fund the government,
and the stalled talks on that measure led to a testy environment on
Capitol Hill Tuesday.
While
Republican leaders in both chambers said members should prepare for
weekend work to finish the year-end legislation, the political schedule
was also taking a hit. Organizers for a big-ticket fundraiser for the
Republican National Committee called off their Wednesday event because
Speaker Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., had to pull out of being its
headliner. Ryan had committed to the RNC Presidential Trust Dinner in
New York City Wednesday, a major conduit for cash headed to the eventual 2016 presidential nominee.
But
because of the uncertainty of the House schedule, Ryan had to cancel.
Republican sources said the unresolved nature of the year-end spending
bill and a measure to extend lapsed tax breaks prevented the speaker
from being the guest of honor.
Meanwhile, the chambers remained deadlocked over several policy provisions to the omnibus.
The
top Senate Democratic appropriator, Barbara A. Mikulski of Maryland,
said “40 or 42 poison pill riders” are giving senior negotiators
headaches, including provisions targeting abortion, campaign finance
restrictions and a National Labor Relations Board ruling.
Also
causing trouble, according to the Maryland Democrat, is the package of
tax extenders, which she said is currently “linked” to the catchall
agreement.
“We were making very good progress on resolving the money issues,” she said Tuesday,
but added that the riders put negotiations in a “frozen state” and
mainly between congressional leadership and the White House.
“We
have about 40 or 42 poison pill riders, but some are really big — Hobby
Lobby, campaign finance reform — things that should have never even
been on the appropriations,” Mikulski said. “So we’re kind of stuck at
the riders stage.”
Her
remarks came as House Republican leaders planned to advance a
short-term continuing resolution to fund the government for a few days
beyond Friday’s deadline.
The Senate’s No. 2 Democrat warned Tuesday of dire consequences if
Republicans force language on abortion into the omnibus and said he
wouldn’t be surprised if the debate runs up through Christmas Eve.
“Just
heard about it for the first time today, and if they try to do it, all
hell will break loose,” Minority Whip Richard J. Durbin said
of the provision. “You can imagine. The phrase ‘Hobby Lobby’ perks up
the ears of many members of the Senate.”
A
Democratic aide said the Hobby Lobby reference, invoking a Supreme
Court decision, was to a pair of provisions already contained in the
House’s Labor-HHS-Education spending plan. Those involve a employers’
exercise of a conscience clause if they believe providing certain health
care violates their religious beliefs and language on abortion
non-discrimination.
The
biggest campaign finance rider under discussion would relax limits on
coordination between political parties and their candidates. Progressive
groups and Democratic lawmakers, as well as conservatives in the House
Freedom Caucus, are fighting the language.
Rep. John Sarbanes,
D-Md., who has been leading the effort against the rider, said if
enacted the provision would allow big-money donors a new avenue —
through the party committees — to give large sums to help their favored
candidates.
Supporters
of the rider, including its patron, Senate Majority Leader Mitch
McConnell, R-Ky., argue it would help party committees keep pace with
super PACs and other outside groups.
Other
major riders causing trouble including a House-passed measure that
would require the FBI to sign off on all refugee resettlement
applications from Syrian and Iraqi asylum seekers.
President Barack Obama has threatened to veto the legislation, which his administration has described as “untenable.”
Mikulski also indicated provisions weakening the Dodd-Frank financial regulatory law were gumming up the works.
Despite
the latest consternation from across the aisle, McConnell was still
looking forward to completing the omnibus spending measure and tax
package.
“It’s
our hope here as we go toward the end of the session to pass a
collection of appropriation bills written by Republicans,” the Kentucky
Republican said.
Earlier
in the day, members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus said they
would push Ryan for a six-week continuing resolution in order to avoid
the kind of end-of-the-year Christmas tree bill that often passes with
lawmakers eager to get home for the holidays.
“We’ve
had conversations with Paul already about that,” said HFC Chairman Jim
Jordan, R-Ohio. “A lot of times when deadlines come around here, we
don’t always like the decisions that get made.”
But
senior appropriators, such as GOP Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee,
wanted nothing of stopgap funding into January or beyond.
“CRs
are bad government. Appropriations bills are good government because
they set priorities and make decisions,” Alexander said. “Just
automatically spending next year what we did last is lazy government.”
Durbin
told reporters that when House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy,
R-Calif., said last week the omnibus deadline could get pushed back a
week with a short CR, he had a bad feeling about the endgame.
“Let
me just be honest having been around here for a little while. When
Leader McCarthy in the House said, ‘Well, if we don’t make Dec. 11, we’ll make Dec. 18,’ and I thought ‘Oh my god, it’s Dec. 24.’ So, I hope I’m wrong,” Durbin said.
Still,
the Christmas cheer wasn’t totally absent from the halls of Congress.
Senators took part in their annual Secret Santa party Tuesday evening, organized by Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn.
Exiting
the Senate Secret Santa with a cheeseboard shaped like Texas and some
Cabot cheese from Democratic Sen. Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont, Majority
Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, said “I’m hoping people drink a little more
eggnog,” to advance the discussions on tax extenders legislation.
“We’re waiting on the House,” Cornyn said. “I hear things are in a better place than they were.”
Tamar Hallerman, Kate Ackley, Melanie Zanona, Sarah Chacko and George Cahlink contributed to this report.
Laura J Alcorn
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