House Republican lawmakers are on the path to passing a three-month government spending bill this month that includes money to combat the Zika virus, top party leaders said after a closed-door meeting on Friday.
“We had a good reception here today, I think, on the idea of a short-term [solution],” House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers, R-Ky., said. “Particularly by the people who believe in a strong military.”
House GOP lawmakers met for more than 90 minutes in the Capitol basement discussing a path forward on a Zika-spending and government-funding package that can be passed before the fiscal year ends on Sept. 30, which is when government funding runs out.
Many Republicans lawmakers who left the meeting warned against a longer-term funding bill that lasts until March 2017 because it could have a potentially negative impact on national defense because it would keep the military at 2016 funding levels.
“A [bill] until March would do severe damage to our military capabilities,” Rogers said “That’s paramount. I think for that reason, among others, we would see a short-term.”
Lawmakers are also eager to leave town much sooner than their Sept. 30 target adjournment date, according to GOP aides, which means there will be an effort to pass something soon.
House GOP leaders are waiting to see what kind of deal Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., can strike with Senate Democratic leaders and President Obama, who are currently in close negotiations on a government-spending and Zika-funding package that could come to the Senate floor for a vote as soon as next week.
McConnell said on Wednesday the bill he is authoring would fund the government until Dec. 9.
The terms of that deal would likely dictate what the House ends up passing, GOP aides acknowledged Friday, because it will have the backing of President Obama, who must sign the legislation.
It’s expected the Senate deal will encompass the House-passed, $1.1 billion Zika-funding bill, but will fix language that angers Democrats because they believe it prevents Puerto Rican health clinics affiliated with Planned Parenthood from receiving a piece of the Zika funding. The offsets that pay for more than $750 million of the bill, one GOP leadership aide said, will likely remain in the bill.
Friday’s meeting between House GOP lawmakers was just a listening session, however, and no final decisions have been made.
The House could initially pass its own legislation that is different from the Senate deal. But so far the two chambers seem to agree on passing a short-term bill.
“The vast majority of speakers argued for a three-month [bill], most citing the desire to get policy wins on appropriations bills this year and sufficiently addressing our military needs,” a source in the room told the Washington Examiner.
House GOP lawmakers said after the meeting nearly everyone agreed Congress must move quickly to provide funding to combat the Zika virus, a mosquito-transmitted disease that causes severe birth defects and is spreading in the southeastern portion of the United States.
“We are going to have to deal with the issue of Zika,” Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., said, adding that the disease is hurting the Florida economy and is spreading to other states. “We are going to have to fund the battle against Zika. How we get that done is being discussed openly among the Republican conference. I’m confident we will be able to get it done within the next few weeks.”
