The road to the floor runs through the House Rules Committee on Tuesday for three GOP spending bills leadership looks to tackle this week: Defense, State-Foreign Operations and Homeland Security.
The security spending trio is on the move as part of Speaker Mike Johnson’s ambitious effort to pass all 12 spending bills on the floor before the start of the August recess.
Sorting out amendments: The Rules panel on Tuesday will hash out which of the more than 800 amendments proposed for the bills may get a floor vote. They range from a proposal slashing Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s annual salary from $221,000 to just $1, to another that would mandate that carmakers keep AM radio available in new vehicles.
Democrats opposed the GOP-led bills in committee, and they are sure to face opposition in the Democratic Senate if they clear the House. But in a divided Congress, these spending bills provide the opportunity for House Republicans to lay out policy and spending priorities, even if they have little chance of becoming law.
The most contentious Defense bill provisions, on topics such as LGBTQ+ troops, abortion, climate change, and diversity and inclusion, are likely to be dropped before a compromise version comes together later this year. That’s expected for the other bills as well.
The White House warned Monday that President Joe Biden would veto all three House GOP spending bills on deck this week if they reached his desk.
Starter dough: The House GOP bills will set starting points for negotiations on stopgap funding legislation closer to the Sept. 30 deadline. A final bipartisan compromise on fiscal 2025 funding isn’t expected until after the November election.
