House lawmakers voted to raise the overall 2020 budget limit to $1.3 trillion Tuesday, allowing appropriators to begin work on spending bills, as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell later told reporters bipartisan budget talks are underway, Defense News reported.
The House set a $733 billion top-line for national defense as part of a “deeming resolution” used to bypass a contentious Democratic debate on a related bill to lift 2020 and 2021 spending limits for defense and non-defense spending.
Congressional Progressive Caucus members want more nondefense spending and plan to lobby House appropriators, but Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) downplayed their hopes Wednesday.
“When they become chair of the Appropriations Committee, they can figure it out,” Lowey said.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Tuesday that he is involved in budget talks with President Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to possibly raise the current two-year spending caps.
McConnell said a “staff-level” working group has been created as part of a “bipartisan desire” to avoid another stopgap continuing resolution and $126 billion in automatic cuts.
“I’m hoping that this will be the beginning of a bipartisan agreement,” McConnell said.
Kentucky Air National Guard photo by Maj. Dale Greer
Post-Leadership, McConnell Plans to Push for More Defense Funding
When Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell steps down from his Senate leadership role after the November elections, he’ll have at least two more years in the Senate. Now he’s signaled one of his priorities as a rank-and-file Senator is to increase defense funding,...
