House Democrats say they have “rejected” a GOP proposal to fund the government in fiscal year 2016, citing “poison pill” provisions that would gut the Wall Street reform law and halt the Syrian refugee resettlement program.
“The rejected Republican package was not the product of the negotiations lead by the appropriators, and instead was a package written by Ryan and McConnell staff,” a House Democratic aide said, referring to Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell R-Ky.
Democratic opposition to the bill immediately complicates its passage, and will put pressure on congressional leaders to quickly find ways around the fight in order to avoid the threat of a partial government shutdown.
The House and Senate have until Dec. 11 to pass a 2016 omnibus spending package, after which portions of the government would shutter, or Congress would have to pass a short-term spending extension. The main point of contention in the omnibus bill has always been “riders,” or provisions that address policy issues not directly related to the spending bill.
House Republicans want to ensure they can pause the Syrian refugees resettlement plan put forward by the Obama administration. They have also pledged to try to halt Obama administration regulations they consider onerous, including Wall Street reform policy and pollution restrictions enacted by the Environmental Protection Agency.
The Democratic aide called GOP provisions, “anti-environment, anti-worker, anti-Dodd-Frank riders.”
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., met with most of her Democratic caucus Wednesday morning to discuss the spending bill, which could require Democratic support to pass.
Democrats feel the GOP is backtracking on promises to negotiate the terms of the omnibus and is now rushing toward the finish line and pressuring them to accept the policy riders.
“Everything that we thought would have movement or that was still an open question, they just negated,” the aide said. “This is similar to what they did on refugees. We were in good faith, we were together and all the rest, and then, they took a turn.”
Ryan talked to Pelosi on the phone for 30 minutes on Tuesday and told her “time is of the essence,” and to consider the GOP offer.
“The proposal was an Appropriations Committee offer, constructed by the Appropriations Committee,” said Ryan spokeswoman AshLee Strong. “The speaker supported it, but he’s deferring” to House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers, R-Ky.
