On June 16, House Appropriations Committee Chairman C.W. "Bill" Young (R-Florida) announced to committee members that he intends to move forward with a plan to bundle all of the 13 annual spending bills for FY 2005 into one large omnibus measure that would move in September after lawmakers return from their political conventions. Young has been discussing his plan with House Republican leaders throughout the spring, but he made his preference for an earlier omnibus official at a markup yesterday.
Young said his goal is to have all 13 measures passed before the House departs for the August recess, which begins July 23. He expressed confidence about that schedule, given that the panel has already marked up six of the bills in subcommittee and four are being marked up in full committee the week of June 14.
Young proposed the idea of an early omnibus in private meetings with GOP leaders this spring, but the plan has gained momentum in recent days as Senate Republicans have been unable to report any breakthrough on a final FY 2005 budget plan. Senate Appropriators have been waiting for a final budget to set their discretionary limits. . Without one, they are forced to rely on the spending limits put in last year's budget for FY 2005 to help them develop their bills.
Among others, Senate Budget Committee Chairman Don Nickles (R-Oklahoma) and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) both said June 15 that, minus a budget, an omnibus bill is a distinct possibility. Stevens has specifically expressed support for an omnibus, saying he favors it over any yearlong continuing resolution to cover federal government spending. Senate Appropriations Committee ranking member Robert C. Byrd (D-West Virginia), however, has said he would oppose such an effort and would push Stevens to proceed under regular procedures.
Young made clear that the grave funding levels proposed for many programs would worsen the prospects for many of the individual bills and combined with the short legislative year would make an omnibus a likely vehicle for bringing the appropriations process to a close before the November election.
After a series of markups ended June 16, the House committee was readying for floor action the bills for Homeland Security, Defense, Energy and Water, Legislative Affairs, and Interior. Interior has been on the House floor the last couple days and Homeland Security is expected to come up on the floor later today.
Meanwhile, the bills for Agriculture and Commerce, Justice, and State have been marked up in subcommittee and are expected to be taken up by the full committee soon. A full committee markup for C-J-S has been scheduled for June 23. The bills that have yet to be marked up either at subcommittee or full committee are those for the District of Columbia; Foreign Operations; Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education; Military Construction; Transportation-Treasury; and Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development.
The Senate Appropriations Committee held its first subcommittee markup of a FY 2005 bill on June 16. The Homeland Security Subcommittee chaired by Senator Thad Cochran (R-Mississippi) marked up and approved its version of their bill.