Senate Appropriators Ask For Help From Advocates

The Senate Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee staff held a “stakeholder’s meeting” on Wednesday, October 3 to discuss the subcommittee’s fiscal year 2008 appropriations bill’s immediate future with health, labor, and education advocates. Throughout the meeting, staffers for Subcommittee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Ranking Member Arlen Specter (R-PA) pleaded with advocates to contact members of Congress and the White House, lobbying for final passage of the bill as it currently stands. The bill is tentatively scheduled to come to the Senate floor the week of October 15, when the Senate returns from its week-long Columbus Day recess.

The Senate Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill provides about $11 billion more than the President requested, making it a prime target for a Presidential veto. Chairman Harkin asked that advocates focus their immediate efforts on helping to ensure that the bill passes through the Senate quickly. There is little doubt that Democrats have the votes necessary to pass the bill, but there is concern over how long it takes to bring the bill to a final vote. Harkin and committee staffers are afraid that an overabundance of amendments will bog down progress on the bill.

Senate leaders are hopeful that they can move the bill through a floor vote in a week, and appropriators expect a quick conference with the House. Sen. Harkin wants to be able to send the bill to the President for the veto showdown by November 1. Unless Congress decides to move the Defense spending bill forward, the Labor-HHS-Education bill should be the first to reach the President’s desk.

If the President follows through on his veto threats, the bill will likely be added to an omnibus bill, which lumps various spending bills together. Harkin and his staff have all but conceded that an omnibus bill, or multiple omnibus bills, are likely unavoidable at this point. However, before then, Democrats will probably try to hold an override vote, more for show than anything else. After the Democrats make their political statement about priorities, Harkin says that Congress will probably have to pass an additional continuing resolution, carrying through into December, to give appropriators enough time to finish work on the omnibus package(s).

Author: SAS