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The
Republican-controlled House, which returns to Washington on
Tuesday from its August recess, will consider an appropriations
bill covering defense spending, according to Scalise's weekly
floor schedule.
Action on spending legislation would allow Republicans to
demonstrate progress on government funding, after weeks of
impasse over hardline demands that discretionary spending be cut
to a fiscal 2022 level of $1.47 trillion.
But Republican lawmakers said the party remains split over other
appropriations bills, as well as an expected short-term stopgap
measure to keep federal agencies operating when current funding
expires on Sept. 30.
"Next week will be interesting - maybe not necessarily in a
great way - as everybody on our side tries to figure out what a
path forward looks like," Republican Representative Kelly
Armstrong told Reuters.
The spending level sought by hardliners is $120 billion lower
than what House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Democratic President
Joe Biden agreed to earlier this year.
The House and Democratic-led Senate each need to pass 12
appropriations bills for the 2024 fiscal year beginning Oct. 1
and then negotiate compromise legislation that Biden can sign
into law. The full House has passed only one bill so far, while
the full Senate is expected to begin considering three measures
on Monday.
The two chambers are far apart on funding, with the Senate
pursuing spending at the level set by McCarthy and Biden.
A separate stopgap measure, known as a continuing resolution,
would give lawmakers additional time to iron out their
differences over spending by providing temporary funding.
(Reporting by David Morgan; editing by Rami Ayyub, Rosalba
O'Brien and Leslie Adler)
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