Demanding a federal budget that is fair, responsible, and meets our nation's priorities

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

War Supp: What's Up with That?

(Updated below)

By cancelling approps markups this week, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) has cleared the deck for floor consideration of that chamber's latest revision of the war supplemental spending package. With the exception of additional funds for midwest region's recent flooding disaster (speculation is $2 billion-ish), the House bill is shaping up to look pretty much like the original sent to the Senate oh-so-long ago:

• Fulfillment of the remaining war funding request for FY 2008 and part of FY 2009
• 13 weeks of extended unemployment insurance benefits, with an another 13 weeks for those living in "high-unemployment" states (for a total of 26 weeks).
• $52 billion expansion of the G.I. bill
• A smattering of other domestic spending

Although House Blue Dogs talked Democratic leadership into including a tax provision to offset a $52 billion expansion of the G.I. bill, "Democratic aids" say that if the Senate ultimately strips the bill of the revenue raiser, they won't stand in the way of final passage in the House. Observers will recall that the first war supp included such an offset, and that the Senate voted on and rejected said offset. Baffling to me, then, is why the insistence on repeating the process only to announce that support for the offset in the House will totally collapse upon Senate rejection.

UPDATE: House Democratic leadership have announced they have reached a compromise with the White House.

• Fulfillment of the remaining war funding request for FY 2008 and part of FY 2009
• 13 weeks of extended unemployment insurance benefits for all states: There will be not additional 13 week extension for high-unemployment states.
• $52 billion expansion of the G.I. bill that will not be offset with a 0.5% millionaire surtax
• $2.65 billion for midwest flood relief
• Postponement of six new Medicaid regulations implemented by the Bush Administration (postponement of the a seventh regulation passed the House independently in April)