With the latest continuing
resolution set to expire this Friday, December
14th and appropriations for FY 2008 still
unresolved, it is likely that Congress will
need to pass at least one more continuing resolution to
keep the federal government operating. It also likely
will remain in Washington during the week of December
17th to continue work before adjourning for
the year.
In the last few weeks, with Congress
having failed to pass eleven of the twelve FY 2008
appropriations bills prior to the Thanksgiving recess,
congressional leaders had been working on a massive
omnibus spending bill that would fund fifteen cabinet
level agencies (including the Department of Labor and
Department of Education) and their programs. This omnibus
bill would have included about $11 billion more in
domestic discretionary spending than the President's
request and about $11 billion less than the Democrats'
proposed level.
However, the plan fell apart as the President
continued his veto threats and as some Republicans
supported the President's position. Matters were
further complicated by wrangling over Democrats'
proposed restrictions on the use of billions of dollars
in supplemental funding to be added to the bill for war
funding and by additional emergency funding (fuel
assistance, for example) that would have increased the
cost of the bill by several billion more
dollars.
On Monday House Appropriations
Chairman David Obey (D-WI) said that he would give up
the effort to pass a compromise omnibus spending bill,
and instead might adhere to the overall ceiling set by
the President. To accomplish
that, he said it would be necessary to remove ALL
earmarks from an omnibus spending bill - a politically
difficult situation both for the White House and for
Congressional members of both parties heading home after
they finally adjourn the first session of the
110th Congress. Further, if the
supplemental funding for defense purposes is not
resolved, it may be necessary for the Pentagon to
furlough thousands of civilian
employees.
In the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid
(D-NV) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
apparently were still hoping to reach some sort of
compromise - but prospects are looking dim - and the
specter of another year-long continuing resolution
looms.
Because the appropriations endgame is in
flux, final FY 2008 appropriations for WIA and
other workforce development programs are still
unclear.
