Fight Over FY 25 Spending Looms, as House GOP Gets Running Start

House Republicans are hoping to get a jumpstart on appropriations legislation for the fiscal year (FY) 2025 budget, after a series of continuing resolutions were needed to keep the government open in FY 2024.

Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) wants markups finished by July 10 for the $1.6 trillion spending package.

Spending Fight Looms

Cole released the full schedule of subcommittee and committee markups, as well as top-line spending levels for all appropriations bills. Those spending levels boost defense spending by one percent and cut nondefense spending by six percent, with more of those cuts hitting Labor-HHS-Education, Financial Services and General Government, and State and Foreign Operations bills (those agencies would see cuts around 10-12 percent).

“Anything we pass is our negotiating position with the Senate and the administration,” said Rep. Cole. “It’s not the law until it’s passed by both houses. So this is where we’re going to start.”

The bills also throw out the 2023 debt limit deal’s provision that allowed for extra nondefense spending beyond statutory caps. Democrats on the appropriations committee are not happy.

“This is the exact same process we saw play out last year,” said Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro. “A process where House Republicans, held hostage by their most extreme members, led us from one shutdown threat to another.”

Rep. DeLauro said Democrats will negotiate, but not until Republicans honor the prior agreement to boost spending for defense and non-defense by one percent.

Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) echoed Rep. DeLauro in insisting that there’s parity for defense and nondefense spending increases.  

Markups Begin

Markups started with the Military Construction-VA bill, which passed the full committee. It includes $147.5 billion in discretionary funding, plus $231 billion for mandatory programs.

The legislative branch bill advanced through subcommittee. It provides $5.5 billion for House and joint items, a 3.5 percent increase from enacted fiscal 2024 levels, and $7.1 billion for Senate only items.

While it includes increases for the Capitol Police, Government Accountability Office (GAO), and Congressional Budget Office (CBO), Democrats on the committee were not happy at some of the conservative policy riders that were attached to the legislation, including blocking diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and a continued prohibition on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) members from working in the legislative branch.

After Congress returns from Memorial Day recess, markups will begin on June 4 for the State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Bill, as well as the Homeland Security Bill.

On June 5, markups will start for the Defense Bill and the Financial Services and General Government Bill.

Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) said he hopes to get the legislation passed by the full House ahead of the August recess.