President’s Spending Power, Medicaid, Key Issues in Simmering Fight Over Government Funding

Efforts to slow down President Trump’s cost-cutting spree may be the determining factor in avoiding a government shutdown ahead of the March 14 deadline. 

According to Politico, top appropriators from both the House and Senate made “good progress” toward a bipartisan deal on top-line spending totals for the military and non-defense programs. 

However, sticking points remain specifically on curbing the president’s appetite for freezing congressionally approved programs. Democrats want some sort of language to that effect in the spending bills. 

“The real question is conditions on presidential action. And look, there's no way a Republican Senate and Republican House are going to limit what a Republican president can do,” said House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK). 

House Vote Expected to Be Tight

While the broader negotiations continue, the House itself is having problems getting a budget blueprint passed. 

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is walking a fine line as he tries to get the budget through the House, where Republicans hold a three seat majority. 

The budget resolution is necessary for Republicans to pass party-line legislation under the reconciliation process, and necessary to enact the bulk of President Donald Trump's domestic agenda.

The speaker is facing pressure from moderates who are upset over looming cuts to Medicaid and hardliners who say the bill’s $2 trillion in spending cuts do not go far enough. 

Meanwhile, Senate Republicans have already passed their budget blueprint, which will have to be reconciled with whatever the House passes.

“I am hopeful and optimistic, and we’ll see if they can pull it off,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD). “The margins are narrow, and there are a lot of moving parts to all of this stuff. All I know is, we want them to succeed.”

Continuing Resolution Likely

Given all that needs to be passed and reconciled, lawmakers admit that the nation is likely headed toward yet another continuing resolution to keep the government open 

However, Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-ME), while noting a stopgap will be needed, says a full-year stopgap is a nonstarter.

“A full-year CR would lock in the Biden administration's priorities, rather than the bills that we negotiated in committee on a bipartisan basis,” said Senator Collins.