Talks on Omnibus Spending Bill Between Chambers of Congress Begin
In the House and the Senate, initial talks for an omnibus appropriations bill have begun. The goal of these initial talks is to agree on top-line spending levels that will be included. Congress has until December 11, 2020 to fund the government and both Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) have stated that they do not want another continuing resolution and would rather have an appropriations package ready to go.
After staffers negotiate top-line spending levels, the appropriations committees will discuss the details in an informal process. The largest disagreement between Democrats and Republicans when it comes to spending bills is related to COVID-19 relief spending. House Democrats included $234.9 billion in emergency spending on COVID-19 relief in their bills.
At a press briefing on November 13, 2020 Speaker Pelosi said, “Our focus in the lame duck continues to be on COVID-19 relief -- this is a red alert. I urge Republicans to acknowledge the crisis and come to the table to work on Covid relief.”
Both Speaker Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) would like a $2.4 trillion proposal, but Senator McConnell and the Republicans have said that they will not go higher than $500 billion. Prior to election day, Republicans were negotiating at the $1.9 trillion level.
Democrats and Republicans did agree on a $12.5 billion cap exemption for the implementation of the VA MISSION Act, which would give veterans greater access to health care in VA facilities and the community.
