“There’s a lot of discussion about where we go--we’ll see what leadership decides,” said House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) as he left the meeting. But Rogers said he believed Republican support for the bill was growing. “I’m very optimistic,” he said.
Despite the internal wrangling, the speaker issued a blunt assurance that no government shutdown would occur and that lawmakers would reach agreement before funding for the government set by the measure expires on Sept. 30.
“There’s no threat of a government shutdown. Let’s just get this out,” Boehner said.
“I understood what the risk was yesterday,” he said. “But why not put the bill on the floor and let the members speak?”
With no resolution of the issue at mid-afternoon--and House leaders still working to come up with small tweaks to the bill that could win support--the chamber appeared headed to another cliff-hanger evening vote that will test the ability of top Republican leaders to wrangle their own members.
“Its Groundhog Day--we’re all hurrying up and waiting again,” said Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.), who opposed the bill Wednesday night and said he continued to be concerned that the $1.043 trillion spending rate it would set for the fiscal year that begins Set. 30 would be too high.
“We’re continuing to spend more than we take in,” he said. “But we can’t lose sight of the war here. This is a small skirmish.”
Huizenga wanted to hear more from House leaders before deciding how to vote.
Under pressure not to surrender the idea that Congress should pair higher spending for disasters with cuts elsewhere, one option under consideration was to attempt to offset spending for the Federal Emergency Management Agency with a cut to a different program than the auto loans Democrats say create jobs.
But House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told reporters Thursday that Democrats believed disaster funds were for emergencies and no offset would be acceptable to her members.
“I think I answered that question: there has never been an offset for disaster assistance,” Pelosi said when asked whether there might be any offset that House Democrats would back.
Several Republicans said Boehner did not seem eager to set the spending rate lower than $1.043 trillion--a spending cap agreed to in the bitterly contested August debt deal--despite the urging of many conservatives.
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