House, Senate Agree To Omnibus That Includes HHS, Financial Services FY 2010 Spending Bills
House and Senate negotiators agreed Tuesday night to a $1.1 trillion spending package that would combine six of the seven remaining fiscal year 2010 spending bills, including the Financial Services (HR 3170) appropriations bill that would end a ban on Washington, D.C.’s use of local tax funds to cover abortion services, the AP/Houston Chronicle reports. The combined measure could be voted on as early as Thursday (Taylor, AP/Houston Chronicle, 12/9).
In addition to Financial Services, the package will include the FY 2010 Commerce-Justice-Science (HR 2847), Labor-HHS-Education (HR 3293), Military Construction-Veterans Affairs (HR 3082), State-Foreign Operations (HR 3081) and Transportation-HUD (HR 3288) appropriations bills. The Defense spending bill (HR 3326) would be a separate measure (Women’s Health Policy Report, 12/9).
The Labor-HHS-Education bill totals $163.5 billion, an increase of $8.5 billion over FY 2009, excluding stimulus dollars, CQ Today reports. The measure would continue restrictions on federal funding for abortion services and ease restrictions on federal funding of needle-exchange programs.
A continuing resolution has been funding the government agencies affected by the appropriations bills since the fiscal year began in October. The CR expires on Dec. 18, so another stopgap bill might be required if the omnibus package is not signed by then.
The budgetary process has been delayed by partisan debate and a legislative calendar dominated by health reform, according to CQ Today (Koss/Clarke, CQ Today, 12/8). That problem may persist, as Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) said Tuesday that the Senate will not take on any more legislation — including the spending bills — until it has finished work on health reform
