Senate’s 8th Appropriation Bill Almost Done
Now that the Senate Finance Committee got its cost estimate from CBO, things are really starting to heat up on Capitol Hill. The Senate resumes consideration of its eighth appropriation bill, Commerce-Justice-Science, with a final vote expected by the end of the week. Once done, only four bills remain, including the all-important $48.7 billion FY10 State, Foreign Ops bill, the largest component of the International Affairs Budget. Currently, the FY10 International Affairs Budget is on track to be funded at $51 billion, $2.9 billion or 5.4 percent below the President’s request.
Last night, the House passed the Agriculture conference report 263-162, paving the way for Senate action. However, the Senate is not expected to take up the Ag bill until sometime next week. House-Senate conferees also finalized the Homeland Security bill. Only three weeks remain until the month-long continuing resolution expires.
