The Senate Appropriations Committee will not mark up spending bills this week as planned, Chair Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced Friday. The hold-up came after committee Republicans said they won’t support the packages planned for markup, accusing Democrats of advancing non-defense bills first to force a lower topline on DOD spending.

“They are not trying to work with us,” Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) said. “They are trying to squeeze the defense money out.”

With 10 days left in the fiscal year, Congress is in a crunch to pass spending bills – or a continuing resolution – agree to a budget resolution that packs in a long list of Democratic priorities and raise the debt limit.

DOD photo by Chad J. McNeeley