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As Congress wraps up, Republican lawmakers are eager to task year – end spending legislation with their own priorities, saying that This is their last chance to advance their program while controlling both chambers.
Many people Proposals, including an agricultural law, sanctions against Saudi Arabia, a major prison and a reform of the sentencing system, add to the bill on spending which will cover hundreds of billions of dollars of projects in dozens of ministries and agencies. [19659002] Republican leaders, however, are trying to suppress the additions, fearing to end up costing rather than building support.
"You do not want to overload the truck," said Senate Supply Committee Chairman Richard C. Shelby, Alabama Republican.
Nevertheless, he added, the agricultural bill, which negotiators are finalizing, could be taken up again.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, said he wanted to add the criminal justice bill to bypass the opposition.
Democrat leaders have said that any final spending bill should also include language protecting the investigation of special advocate Robert Mueller on Russian attempts to influence the election. 2016 from the President. Trump.
Sen. Orrin G. Hatch, Republican of Utah and outgoing chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, also said that the end-of-year spending stream could be the best way to bolster the revival of expired tax breaks who are part of a troubled tax package pass to the House.
"We're looking at everything, but we're getting to work, and I do not know what we can do beyond the extensions, but I'd like to," Hatch said. "And I think we may be able to do that, because this is my last chance here."
The long list of desires shows how little progress has been made this year and how legislators are worried about progressing next congress. Beginning in early January, control of both houses will be split between the parties.
Although the Democrats in the House are in the minority at the moment, they have drawn their own lines on the current spending bill.
"We want to protect Bob Mueller, and I will not vote for a spending bill that does not protect Bob Mueller," said California Democrat Representative Eric Swalwell recently.
Democrats in the House also said that the Trump government is asking for $ 190 million in additional funding for the Ministry of Health and Social Services to take care of immigrant children detained at the border, even though the president has already signed a package that fully finances HHS until September.
"On my corpse, are we going to provide another penny for these people to do what they do here," said Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro of Connecticut, the largest Democrat member of House Subcommittee on Health Expenditures.
Legislators passed five of 12 annual spending bills for 2019, which will fully fund Three-quarters of the federal government's $ 1,200 billion discretionary budget, including the Departments of Defense, Health and Social Services, and Labor.
But they must pass seven spending bills covering other agencies such as NASA and the Ministries of Justice, Trade, Agriculture and Homeland Security will avoid a partial halt Just before Christmas
Lawmakers on both sides claim that the main point of blockage is Mr. Trump's demand to collect $ 5 billion of money from the border.
Nancy, Democratic leader of House Pelosi, of California, said that Congress should pass six bills for anything but homeland security, and then pass a resolution to extend until 2019 the funds granted in 2019 for internal security, avoiding a fight around the wall of the border. Trump is unlikely to agree to this deal, as the 2018 bill provided only $ 1.6 billion for fencing at the border, far from what he said he needed.
Ms. Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, a Democrat in New York, are due to meet with the president at the White House on Tuesday. After that, there should be a clearer idea of what both parties are willing to accept in a final agreement.
Like Mr. Shelby, the Deputy Speaker of the Senate Credits Committee, Patrick J. Leahy, Democrat of Vermont, said that the goal was so late in the day. This session aims to minimize and not stack expensive and controversial articles.
"He had to say" no "to some of the things that he would have liked as a conservative Republican. I had to refuse some of the things I would have liked, "said Mr. Leahy about Mr. Shelby during a recent conference call by the Public Citizen group.
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