House expected to adjourn for August recess one day early as spending battle drags on
Cami Mondeaux Reese Gorman
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The House plans to adjourn for its August recess one day earlier than originally planned after lawmakers remain split on the agriculture appropriations bill due to GOP disagreements on spending cuts, a House GOP aide confirmed to the Washington Examiner.
Lawmakers were initially scheduled to leave Washington, D.C., on Friday afternoon for its six-week recess after voting on the agriculture bill, but those plans were changed after centrist Republicans and House Freedom Caucus members remained at offs over portions of the agriculture appropriations bill, according to a senior GOP member.
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“We’ve had a number of members talking about the back-and-forth on the negotiations,” said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA). “There’s members that want to do deeper cuts. There’s other members who have been vocal that they won’t support the bill under deeper cuts. So we’re still having some fun on negotiations.”
The House Rules Committee began consideration of the appropriations bill on Wednesday, which provides funding for agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration. However, a standoff between hardline conservatives and GOP leadership over topline spending stalled those talks, according to members.
“The bill is not eliminating as much wasteful spending as it could,” said Rep. Ben Cline (R-VA). “And we’ve identified additional areas and provided suggestions where those savings can be found.”
Conversations about those proposed cuts are still ongoing, according to Cline.
The intraparty division also stems from a provision being pushed by conservatives to overturn a Biden administration rule that allows abortion pills to be sold through the mail and in retail pharmacies. Several moderate Republicans came out against that provision, threatening to vote against the bill altogether if it was included.
“I have said from the very beginning that I would not support legislation that would ban abortion nationwide,” Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) told reporters on Wednesday. “To me, some of these issues that are being dealt with should be dealt with at the state level, and that’s it. Some states allow it to be mailed, some states don’t. But that should be a decision with the states and the FDA.”
McCarthy can only afford to lose five GOP votes if all Democrats vote against the legislation, which would almost certainly happen if the abortion provision was included. The House is scheduled to meet on Thursday afternoon to vote on the military construction appropriations bill, after which lawmakers will adjourn until further notice.
Congress has until the end of September to pass its annual budget before the new fiscal year begins on Oct. 1, or else lawmakers risk a government shutdown. The House is scheduled to return on Sept. 12, giving them just 18 days to avert a government shutdown.
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However, that process has been made even more complicated this year. Some Freedom Caucus members are already signaling opposition to the spending levels agreed to in the debt limit deal and threatening to vote against budget legislation unless spending levels are cut. Those sentiments are likely to put the House on a collision course with Senate Democrats, who are likely drafting budgets with a much larger number.
Meanwhile, McCarthy has continued to express confidence in the House’s ability to pass its budget before the end of September.