Abortion, Border Wall Cause Senate Panel To Cancel Important Spending Bill Vote

Absent a deal with Senate Democrats, Republicans decided Wednesday cancel a planned vote on bills to fund the State Department and the departments of Health and Human Services and Labor and Education, undermining efforts to get the federal government funded when the 2020 fiscal year begins Oct. 1.

The decision came as Congress worked to fund the government to avert a government shutdown. The House already has passed 10 of the 12 bills on its docket but the Senate is way behind. Senate appropriators had been expecting to advance four bills a week for the next three weeks.

A stopgap spending bill was seen as inevitable but there has been no agreement on the length of the continuing resolution. The White House already has sent its anomalies list to Capitol Hill for revisions to the last continuing resolution but House Democrats are balking at taking up anything other than a clean spending bill with no changes. Sen. Dick Durbin, R-Ill., said he would expect any stopgap bill to run through at least Nov. 22, the last day the Senate is in session before the Thanksgiving holiday recess.

The Senate Appropriations Committee had been planning to take up the bills Thursday but disagreements over abortion and President Trump’s border wall complicated the process.

Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby, R-Ala., indicated there was trouble Tuesday after a subcommittee vote on the HHS/Labor-Education bill was canceled. A vote on defense spending and on a bill covering energy and water development were still planned for Thursday.

Republicans accused Democrats of offering a “poison pill” amendment to the HHS/Labor-Education measure blocking a Trump administration rule that prevents federal funds from going to organizations that offer abortion information or referrals.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., accused Democrats of reneging on a two-year budget agreement but Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., urged a floor vote on the amendment.

“If Senate Republicans are more willing to listen to President Trump than women and patients in their own states, they should own up to it and be willing to let their votes show it,” Murray said.

Democrats also were critical of Republicans for shifting $5 billion from the HHS/Labor-Education bill to fund Trump’s border wall. The Pentagon last week said it had begun moving $3.6 billion from military construction projects to the border wall. Some $2.5 billion also could come from counterdrug operations.

The fate of the defense bill was in question. Durbin said Democrats have not yet decided whether they can support it. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the Republicans are trying to sneak in $12 billion for the border wall.

“They know darn well that $12 billion in additional monies for the wall isn’t going to fly with Senate Democrats or the House,” Schumer said. “So they ought to get serious negotiating now that they’ve shown the president they’re paying a little more fealty to him.”