House Republican leaders are considering an alternative plan to advance their must-pass spending legislation by combining appropriations bills into packages, reversing course from their earlier stance that all 12 funding bills must be passed individually.
It’s not yet clear how Congress plans to avoid a government shutdown next week, but the possibility of packaging appropriations bills into a so-called minibus has been raised among House GOP leaders, a source familiar with the conversations told the Washington Examiner. That proposal is likely to spark backlash among some Republican lawmakers such as Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who has remained adamant that the annual spending bills must be voted on one by one.
Republicans have long criticized Democrats for packaging appropriations bills into one large legislative package, which is referred to as an omnibus package. In response, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy vowed to no longer utilize that procedure after Republicans took control of the lower chamber last year.
However, a collection of smaller “minibus” packages may now be necessary to avoid a partial government shutdown, which is scheduled to take effect March 1. On that date, four appropriations bills are set to expire: Agriculture; Military Construction and Veterans Affairs; Transportation, Housing and Urban Development; and Energy and Water.
The remaining eight appropriations bills don’t expire until March 8, giving lawmakers slightly more breathing room to get that legislation through both chambers.
The House doesn’t return until Wednesday, giving lawmakers just three working days to pass a spending deal before funding for a slate of government agencies is set to lapse. If lawmakers can’t extend government funding by that date, it’s likely they will look to pass another temporary stopgap bill to buy more time.
But to get all spending bills across the table, Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) said “all options are on the table, including minibus appropriations bills.”
“Due to the Schumer Senate’s inability to pass individual appropriations bills and the tight timeline we’re working with, all options are on the table,” he said. “Thanks to Speaker Johnson’s leadership, the days of massive omnibus bills are behind us. We will continue our efforts to change the way Washington works.”
Republicans in the House Freedom Caucus released a list of policies they want to see in spending negotiations on Wednesday, pushing for a one-year stopgap spending bill if those demands are not met.
Caucus members requested an update on where appropriations negotiations currently stand, demanding that legislative text include policies to defund the Pentagon abortion policy, prohibit funding for gun registries and red-flag gun laws, and block attempts by the Biden administration to remove parts of the southern border wall, among other things.
A spokesperson for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) pushed back on those demands, noting the speaker has “held regular meetings with Members, including Appropriators and HFC Members” regarding appropriations over the last two months.
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If their long list of demands is not met, the hard-line Republicans say the GOP should instead push for a one-year temporary funding bill that would implement 1% budget cuts across the board and keep government spending at the same levels.
However, that puts Republicans at odds with Democrats, who have already expressed opposition to a continuing resolution that would trigger budget cuts, and puts pressure on Johnson to either side with Republicans in his party for a partisan spending bill that will face a battle in the Senate or work across the aisle with Democrats on a bill that could easily pass both chambers.
