House And Senate Committees To Mark Up Budget Resolutions; How Will Congress Deal With The Sequester; Debt Limit Reached
Monday, March 16, 2015

Legislative Activity

House and Senate Committees to Mark Up Budget Resolutions; How Will Congress Deal with the Sequester?

The House and Senate Budget Committees will hold markup hearings this week on their respective Budget Resolutions. The House Committee will mark up its resolution on Wednesday, while the Senate Committee will hold markup hearings on both Wednesday and Thursday. Sequestration will be front and center during the budget resolution debates in the coming weeks. While many House and Senate Republicans will want to keep sequestration’s discretionary spending caps, defense hawks are advocating increased defense spending and Democrats have said they will not accept increasing the caps only for defense.

House Budget Committee Chairman Tom Price (R-GA) is expected to release a budget that will balance the federal budget within 10 years and conform to the sequester’s spending limits. Chairman Price has said the House budget resolution will retain some aspects of former Budget Chairman Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) past budgets.

The Senate Budget Committee is also working on a budget resolution that would balance the budget in 10 years and maintain the sequesters’ discretionary spending caps, though it will likely include a deficit-neutral reserve fund allowing budget limits to be raised if a deal is reached with President Obama later in the year. Several Democrats on the Senate Budget Committee have already come out against the Republican budget plan that they argue would weaken the middle class.

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who sits on the Budget Committee, has also advocated increasing defense spending, saying that sticking with sequestration may require base closures; he has also been involved with a small bipartisan group of senators looking to replace the sequester with a “mini-Simpson-Bowles” type plan. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) has said he would vote against a budget resolution that does not increase defense spending, and has proposed increasing funding over the next two years and paying for it by reducing spending in years further out.

Debt Limit Reached

Today, Monday, March 16, the federal government’s debt limit has been reached. Jack Lew, Secretary of the Treasury, said he will implement “extraordinary measures” that will continue to finance the federal government until October or November, slightly longer than previously expected. House Budget Committee Chairman Price has said conversations about the debt limit “are really in their nascent stage,” but noted he prefers tying debt limit increases to spending cuts. Many Republicans will likely push for spending cuts equal to the amount of a debt limit increase, and Democrats are expected to push back, wanting a “clean” debt limit increase.

The recent Department of Homeland Security showdown may show that House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) will be willing to break with the more conservative wing of his party in order to avoid a federal government default or shutdown. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has pledged not to have a showdown over the debt limit, and has said Congress will deal with the issue over a period of months. Republicans could tie a debt limit increase to the budget reconciliation process in the coming months.

This Week’s Hearings:

  • While the House and Senate Budget Committees will hold markup hearings on their respective budget resolutions this week, the hearing times have not yet been published.

  • Wednesday, March 18: The House Appropriations Committee Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee will hold two Public and Outside Witness hearings.

  • Wednesday, March 18: The House Appropriations Committee Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee will hold an oversight hearing titled “Closing the Achievement Gap in Higher Education.”

  • Thursday, March 19: The House Appropriations Committee Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee will hold an oversight hearing of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of the Inspector General.

Senate Appropriations Committee FY 2016 Budget Hearings

  • Tuesday, March 17: The Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the Department of Agriculture.

  • Tuesday, March 17: The Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for Military Construction, Family Housing.

  • Tuesday, March 17: The Legislative Branch Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the Library of Congress and Architect of the Capitol.

  • Wednesday, March 18: The Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the United States Forest Service.

  • Wednesday, March 18: The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the Department of Transportation.

  • Wednesday, March 18: The Defense Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the United States Missile Defense Agency.

  • Thursday, March 19: The Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the Veterans Benefits Administration.

  • Thursday, March 19: The Homeland Security Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the United States Secret Service.

House Appropriations Committee FY 2016 Budget Hearings

  • Monday, March 16: The Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the Office of Management and Budget.

  • Tuesday, March 17: The Interior, Environment, and Related Services Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

  • Tuesday, March 17: The Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the Department of Agriculture, Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services.

  • Tuesday, March 17: The Defense Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the National Guard and Reserve.

  • Tuesday, March 17: The Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the Department of Energy, Applied Energy Programs.

  • Tuesday, March 17: The Homeland Security Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the United States Secret Service.

  • Tuesday, March 17: The Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the Federal Aviation Administration.

  • Tuesday, March 17: The Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the Department of Labor.

  • Tuesday, March 17: The Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the National Science Foundation.

  • Tuesday, March 17: The Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the General Services Administration.

  • Tuesday, March 17: The Interior, Environment, and Related Services Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the National Park Service.

  • Tuesday, March 17: The Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the Department of Energy, Office of Science.

  • Tuesday, March 17: The State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the United States Agency for International Development.

  • Wednesday, March 18: The Defense Subcommittee will hold a closed hearing on the Budget Request for the United States Pacific Command and United States Forces Korea.

  • Wednesday, March 18: The Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the Department of Energy, Environmental Management.

  • Wednesday, March 18: The Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development.

  • Wednesday, March 18: The Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

  • Wednesday, March 18: The Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the Internal Revenue Service.

  • Wednesday, March 18: The Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for Related Agencies.

  • Wednesday, March 18: The State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the Department of Treasury, International Programs.

  • Thursday, March 19: The Interior, Environment, and Related Services Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the Bureau of Land Management.

  • Thursday, March 19: The Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the Department of Agriculture, Farm and Foreign Agriculture Services.

  • Thursday, March 19: The Defense Subcommittee will hold a closed hearing on the Budget Request for the United States European Command.

  • Thursday, March 19: The Homeland Security Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the Transportation Security Administration.

  • Thursday, March 19: The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for Surface Transportation Programs.

  • Thursday, March 19: The Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Budget Request for the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

This post was written with contributions from Timothy Drake.

 

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