House Speaker Paul Ryan said Wednesday that Republicans are still trying to hammer out a budget deal, even though they’re just two days away from their April 15 deadline.
“It is my goal to pass a budget,” Ryan said after meeting with lawmakers privately Wednesday morning. “I think we should pass a budget and we are still talking with our members about how we can get that done.”
Republicans who attended the meeting told the Washington Examiner that little progress has been made so far in reaching a budget deal.
Dozens of conservatives are opposing a Republican leadership proposal to pass a budget that spends $1.07 trillion in fiscal 2017. Conservatives want spending cut next year to $1.04 trillion, or to have an equivalent amount reduced in mandatory spending through reforms to Medicare or welfare.
“We are going to miss the April 15 deadline,” said Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C. “There are ongoing discussions we are going to continue to have to try to find some common ground to do real reform” to mandatory spending.
Even without a deal in place, House appropriators are moving ahead with advancing the 12 spending bills that make up discretionary spending for the federal government.
Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers, R-Ky., said his goal is to move all 12 bills through the appropriations committees and have them ready for floor consideration by May 15, which is typically the earliest the House can take them up under the rules.
“What we are trying to do is pass as many bills as we can through the full committee while we wait on the budget question to be resolved,” Rogers said.
The House can pass appropriations bills even without agreeing on a budget resolution because both chambers and both parties agreed on spending $1.07 trillion in fiscal 2017.
