Another Emergency Spending Bill Possible, Housing Bill May be Pushed Back

The Crypt reports on Majority Leader Reid’s (D-NV) comments to reporters earlier today in which he indicated that a new emergency spending bill may be crafted in the coming weeks. The idea behind the bill would be to satisfy members and lobbying groups who saw their various domestic spending items systematically cut from the war spending bill due up for a vote this week in the Senate.

Those cuts were made in an effort to garner bipartisan support for a bill that had a chance of being signed by President Bush. The Crypt notes some of the programs to be included in the new bill.

Reid ticked off a list of domestic spending programs he hoped to see in the measure, including additional funding for home heating assistance, an expansion of children’s health insurance, additional money for police forces and more relief for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

“We are going to come back at a later time and do other things that are extremely important in another supplemental,” said Reid. “We hope to take this up in next work period, when we get back [from the Fourth of July recess].”

Reid said he was meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the makeup of the potential bill.

His remarks also give us some updates on a few other items currently pending in the Senate, including the possibility of a delay on the housing bill:

• War Funding (H.R. 2642): The bill, a delicate compromise between leaders of both parties in both bodies and the White House, is expected to pass on Thursday.
• Housing (H.R. 3221): Pulling together remarks made by the Majority Leader on the Senate floor earlier this morning about procedural obstacles possibly getting in the way of work on the bill, statements by Senator Dodd (D-CT) pleading that it not be held up by non-germane amendments and Senator Ensign’s (R-NV) threat to delay the measure until he is guaranteed a vote on his renewable energy tax-credit amendment, we are thinking this bill is about to be shelved until after the July 4 recess. The Majority Leader’s remarks to reporters today did nothing to convince us otherwise. He stated that he hoped any procedural obstacles could be removed and that work on the bill could be finished late tonight, but that he was “unsure if that could be accomplished,” according to the article.
• Global AIDS Funding (S. 2731): This bill, which we’ve noted has been subject to delay by Republican members, is still in play for this week but will not be called up for legislative action until tomorrow. The Majority Leader had previously set a deadline for today. This would seem to indicate that members are close to reaching a final agreement on passage of the bill. The legislation has been a priority of President Bush and will be signed into law.