The 107th Congress adjourned without passing 11 of the 13 appropriations
for the 2003 federal budget . This is expected to be the first order of
business for the new Congress in January, but according to statements by
the new House Appropriations Chairman - the process will be very
different.
It will likely have a negative impact on funding for the NIH and health
care funding in general.
The Associated Press reported on December 19, 2002,
"... Republicans plan to quickly wrap up the long-delayed 2003 federal
budget when
the new Congress convenes with both houses under their control,
according to the
chairman of the House committee that controls spending.
Appropriations Committee Chairman C.W. Bill Young, R-Fla., said
Thursday that
GOP leaders and President Bush want to approve some $385 billion in
non-defense
spending before Bush delivers his State of the Union address to Congress
on Jan.
28.
He said quick action is crucial because Congress must immediately
begin work
on the fiscal 2004 budget and take up an emergency spending package to
give the
faltering economy a boost and deal with such issues as wildfires,
drought and
domestic security needs.
"This is not going to be easy," Young said of the spending package for
2003
he has worked out with Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, the next chairman of
the
Senate Appropriations Committee. "There may be some who have to hold
their nose
when they vote for it."
... Young declined to give a breakdown of the $385 billion package
that will be
presented by Congress. But congressional aides have said that under
current
plans, the most controversial of the measures - financing the
Departments of
Labor, Education, and Health and Human Services - would be about $131
billion,
roughly $5 billion less than the Senate's bill. .."
Young's press rlease : http://www.house.gov/appropriations
According to CQ Weekly, plans for one omnibus appropriations bill have
actually been in the works at least since the beginning of Dec.
FROM: CQ Weekly
APPROPRIATIONS
Dec. 7, 2002
Page 3169
"GOP Leaders Plan Omnibus Blitz To Meet Bush’s Budget Demands
By Andrew Taylor, CQ Staff
"After complaining for months that there is no way to write politically
palatable fiscal 2003 spending bills at levels requested by Bush, the
leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations committees are trying to
do just that. They hope to find a way to ensure quick consideration in
January of an 11-bill omnibus measure that sticks within Bush’s overall
budget cap of $750.4 billion.
"...The process that creates the omnibus would leave major decisions in
the hands of a small group of appropriators, House and Senate leaders,
and White House aides, especially Office of Management and Budget
Director Mitchell E. Daniels Jr."
"... The omnibus would be a mammoth document totaling almost $400 billion
in discretionary spending. If the GOP leaders’ plans work, House members
will get only an up-or-down vote on the package. The House typically
limits debate on conference reports to one hour. The scenario runs
counter to the House’s traditional open debate on spending bills, but
protests from GOP lawmakers are considered unlikely.
“There’s a good chance that the president can play the tune and make
the Congress dance,” said a senior House Democratic Appropriations
Committee aide."
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