House Democrats have ditched plans to vote on a measure to raise budget caps after the progressive wing of the caucus refused to back it without billions more in domestic spending.
Leaders hoped to bring up the measure this week and pass it ahead of a two-week recess, but not enough Democrats will support the measure because of mounting opposition from the progressive wing.
Recommended Stories
The decision to abandon the measure came moments after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., announced he has opened talks with President Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on a bipartisan, House-Senate deal to lift the caps for two years.
The three will ultimately have to agree on the caps.
Last week, the House budget panel advanced by a narrow margin a bill that would lift the current domestic spending limit by 5.7 percent, to $631 billion in fiscal 2020, and to $646 billion in fiscal 2021. The measure would raise defense spending by 2.6 percent over the current cap — to $664 billion in 2020. Defense spending would be capped at $680 billion in fiscal 2021.
Three progressive Democrats on the panel voted “no,” warning the party leadership that floor passage would head into obstruction by the progressive wing.
Democrats are leaving early this week to attend an annual issues retreat and their midweek exit also complicated efforts to whip up the needed support to pass the budget bill.
Democrats could only afford to lose 17 votes to pass the bill with their party alone. Republicans were expected to remain unified against the proposal.
