House Republicans proposed a new spending bill Wednesday to fund the government for roughly a month and plan to include a five-year reauthorization of the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
However, the reauthorization package that mirrors a bill the House passed last month is likely to pick up strong Democratic objections due to funding offsets.
The House Appropriations Committee released a new spending bill to renew spending until Jan. 19; the current one expires on Dec. 22. It includes a bill that passed the House last month that renews CHIP for five years and funds community health centers for two years.
But it remains unclear whether the Senate would accept that bill because of prior objections over funding offsets.
While the bill got some Democratic support when it passed last month, it got through the House thanks to Republican backing.
House Democrats have condemned funding offsets that include raising Medicare premiums for seniors making more than $500,000 a year and raiding a disease prevention fund created under Obamacare.
So far the bill has gone nowhere in the Senate, which would need Democratic support.
Democrats have clamored for Republicans to pass a CHIP funding bill. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., said during a press conference Wednesday that she is part of the Democratic contingent in talks with Republicans over a new spending bill and she is discussing adding long-term CHIP funding.
The Senate Finance Committee passed its own CHIP reauthorization package in October but it did not include funding offsets. Talks over how to fund the program have gone nowhere so far.
