Three Down, Nine to Go
As the House and Senate shift their attention to crafting their respective health care bills, the appropriations process appears to be slowing down. With only two weeks remaining until the continuing resolution (CR) expires on Oct. 31, Congress has passed only three FY10 Appropriations bills for the President’s signature. The Senate last night approved the $33.5 billion Energy-Water conference report, which now goes to the White House. In the meantime, the House passed the $42.8 billion Homeland Security conference report, sending it up to the Senate for final consideration.
With the Commerce-Justice-Science bill postponed, the Senate has passed only seven appropriations bills. It is looking more and more unlikely that the Senate will have the time to consider the vital $48.7 billion FY10 State, Foreign Ops bill, the largest component of the International Affairs Budget. This means it may be folded into a “mini-bus” measure along with the other bills that do not come up for final consideration. Congress will most likely need to pass another CR in order to keep the federal government operating until they finish the remaining bills.
