While many in Washington fear that Congress is stumbling again toward a stopgap measure to fund the government this fall, House Budget Committee Chairwoman Diane Black expressed optimism Monday that the lower chamber could finish appropriations bills and a budget for fiscal 2018.
“I think there’s a stronger movement toward getting through the appropriations process,” Black told the Washington Examiner.
The Tennessee Republican said lawmakers in the conference have held conversations over the congressional recess about finishing the appropriations bills after they return in September, helping members to “study what they need to study before we get back, so we can take action.” Congress would have to pass funding before Oct. 1 to avoid a government shutdown.
Congress faces a number of deadlines when it returns in September, including funding the government, raising the federal debt ceiling and several other pressing matters.
So far, the House has passed four of the 12 annual appropriations that fund the government.
As a result, some in Congress have suggested that lawmakers might be forced to pass a continuing resolution that would keep the government open and spending at the current levels. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis cautioned Congress this week against such a stopgap measure, saying it would crimp the military’s ability to plan.
Black said Monday, though, that passing spending bills through regular order was still within reach.
“I even feel that we were getting closer to it before we left, and that there was a desire to do regular order and finish up these bills and actually do an appropriations process,” she said.
