Senate leaders agree to two-year budget deal

The Hill ^ | 02/07/2018 | Alexander Bolton

[SeekAndFind]

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has announced a deal with Senate Democrats to fund the government and set spending levels for defense and nondefense programs over the next two years.

The legislation would avert a government shutdown on Friday, when federal funding is due to expire, and boost defense and nondefense programs.

It also lifts the debt ceiling to March 2019, which White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders hailed as a decision that would move Congress away from "crisis-to-crisis budgeting."

The deal is backed by McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), and will almost certainly be cleared as part of a stopgap funding measure by the Senate before a Feb. 8 deadline to prevent a shutdown.

It is not entirely sure the package will win enough support to pass the House, however.

It does not include language sheltering thousands of immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children who could face deportation next month.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) says she will oppose the deal without a commitment from Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) to consider legislation to protect "Dreamers" and other immigrants facing possible deportation next month.

Pelosi was in the midst of a floor speech running more than three hours in the House when McConnell announced the deal. McConnell has promised a floor debate on immigration in the Senate.

“Without a commitment from Speaker Ryan, comparable to the commitment from Leader McConnell, this package does not have my support,” Pelosi said in a statement.

Ryan is also likely to face defections from conservatives who oppose the Senate bill for various reasons. The more Republican votes he loses, the more leverage Pelosi has.

[A Formerly Proud Canadian]

How many times did Nutsy Pelousy refer to President Bush I her speech? 😋

[b4its2late]

Chuckie likes it, I don’t.

[xkaydet65]

Yes on that. And civics 7th grade, then not now, do not all appropriation bills start in the House?

[Old Teufel Hunden]

"Arent bills supposed to originate in the house?This cant be legal."

Per the constitution you are correct. The House passed a continuing budget resolution bill yesterday. They most likely gutted that bill and put this new bill together on top of it.

[chuckee]

300 billion of additional spending over 2 years with no offsets. The deficit be damned. Full speed ahead. Ugh!

[knighthawk]

80 billion extra in defense spending. Yeah Trump really is Putins puppet...

[Old Teufel Hunden]

BTW, not all bills have to originate in the house, just spending ones

Article 1 Section 7

All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives

[arrogantsob]

The wall is a bargaining chip to legalize DACA. It is almost impossible for the Democrats to reject this.

[arrogantsob]

How silly to think the constitution means squat to the Democrats and too many Republicans.

[Vendome]

F that.

Budgeting is for one year.

These chumps can’t just do their job?

[arrogantsob]

Little in this bill makes the Democrats happy. Are you one of those who see defeat in every victory?

[Don Corleone]

B O H I C A

[DBeers]

Budgets are supposed to be annual. What’s next, a 5 year ‘plan’?

[Bruce Campbells Chin]

A budget is not the same as the actual appropriation, which must be voted on separately. The budget is not law, and does not require the President's signature. The actual appropriations bills that authorize the spending of money do.

What they have here is an agreed-upon framework for total spending, though they're perfectly free to pass bills that exceed it.

[Dr. Sivana]

I would accept the deal, but not spend all the domestic money.

Howard Phillips (Taxpayers/Constitution Party) tried that when he worked for Nixon. He tried to wind down his own department. He was told by law he had to spend the money.

Here's another approach. Use the non-defense spending creatively. After all, look what Obama did with NASA etc., putting his agenda in unusual places.

Maybe we can put up the new Office of Paper Pushing on the southern border. Of course one side of its building will be akin to a WALL.

Maybe a nice new "park" in the same place, with a monument, in the shape of a WALL. Etc.

[TakeChargeBob]

Does anyone know if the funding for insurers and advertisements to sign up for Obamacare and other provisions in the Murray/Alexander healthcare proposal is in this budget?

If so, this should be called out and pressure put on the Republicans not to fund Obamacare especially since they failed to repeal it.

[Yulee]

The Wall????

[SecAmndmt]

Busted through all the sequester limits. What’s not to like? Schumer loves it! What’s not to like?! Mo Brooks, a real conservative in the House, says “hell NO”. WHAT’S NOT TO LIKE?!

I have been around here long enough to know what GOPe lackey you are, and how you attack constitutional conservatives.

You know where you can stick your response.

[Trumpisourlastchance]

Because $20 Trillion in current debt, and >$100 Trillion in future debt with current baselines, is not enough.

[unlearner]

“Budget without immigration is where we’re going. Dems not gonna give up that campaign point. This will pass.”

No immigration deal and no wall funding means “Dreamers” will start being deported.

The Dems are obstructionists and do not want a deal.

Trump offered protection for Dreamers and even a path to citizenship. Dems will let them be deported. Dems claim to care about Blacks and Hispanics, but they really just care about holding on to power.

Dems are determined to have unlimited and unregulated immigration, whether that means obstructing any meaningful fixes, tearing down any future wall, or stopping any enforcement efforts of the current laws.