Senate Republicans will hold off on writing a budget agreement, the Budget Committee chairman announced Monday, amid intraparty disagreement over government spending and the benefits of passing a budget blueprint.
Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., said the Budget Committee would postpone action on the budget this month, rather than marking up a budget document.
“The Senate already has topline numbers and budget enforcement features available this year so that a regular order appropriations process can move forward while we continue to discuss broader budget challenges,” Enzi said in a statement.
Postponing hearings and a mark-up does not preclude the Senate from passing a budget. The Senate could pick up a House-passed budget in April, or move quickly to pass its own version.
In the case that no budget is passed, however, the spending numbers spelled out in last fall’s budget agreement between then-House Speaker John Boehner and President Obama would be the starting point for the appropriators writing spending bills for fiscal year 2017. The Boehner-Obama deal set spending numbers for fiscal years 2016 and 2017.
The spending levels included in the deal, however, have divided conservatives, many of whom would like to cut spending further. The agreement sets discretionary spending on defense and non-defense programs at $1.07 trillion, $30 billion higher than the spending caps set in negotiations over the debt ceiling in 2011.
Conservative opposition to a budget agreement imperils the budget process. GOP leaders, including Speaker Paul Ryan, have urged passing budgets in both chambers and maintaining regular order. Passing budgets would allow Republicans to outline policies they favor and unlock the ability to use special budget-related tools to pass legislation through Congress with only 50 votes in the Senate.
Weighing against passing a budget agreement, however, is that passing a budget could involve a major showdown among Republicans over domestic and defense spending. Additionally, it would shield senators from having to take votes, forced by the budget process, on polarizing subjects during an election year.
