Senate Leader McConnell Implores Swift Action on Federal Funding Process
[Stay on top of transportation news: Get TTNews in your inbox.]
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell urged the chamber’s funding leaders to proceed quickly with measures that would guarantee funding for federal agencies through the next fiscal year that starts Oct. 1.
“We have no time to waste when it comes to appropriations,” said McConnell, a Kentucky Republican.
“I maintain hope that Chairman [Richard] Shelby and ranking member [Patrick] Leahy can oversee a smooth process and we can move all 12 appropriations bills in a bipartisan fashion,” added McConnell, speaking on the Senate floor Sept. 11. “Both sides have every reason to want a smooth appropriations process to proceed as we had planned.”
While the House has advanced appropriations bills, the Senate has yet to vote on its versions. McConnell has indicated he intends to schedule votes on the fiscal 2020 bills when they reach his desk.
Inaction in the Senate, however, increases the likelihood of having to proceed with a short-term funding measure to avoid a government shutdown. Thus far, President Donald Trump has not signed into law fiscal 2020 funding bills.
Shelby
Senate appropriators, led by Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), kicked off the committee’s fall agenda with bills that would fund defense and energy agencies.
He has yet to announce the consideration of the fiscal 2020 transportation bill to direct funding for the U.S. Department of Transportation and its subagencies.
“The time to get our work done is upon us, and it is running short,” Shelby said Sept. 12.
Yet, Democrats pushed back on Trump’s desire to build a wall along the Mexican border. Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy, the top Democrat on the Appropriations panel, captured his caucus’ frustration.
“I appreciate the difficult balancing act it requires to divide up our limited federal dollars among the 12 bills, all of which have important and competing priorities,” Leahy said. “Given the limited federal dollars we have to invest in education, health, the economy and our real national security needs, we should not be allocating $5 billion for an ineffective wall that was based on a cynical campaign promise, and bears no relation to the real national security issues this country faces. A wall that [Trump] repeatedly promised Mexico would pay for.”
Hoyer
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) also criticized the Senate’s inaction to fund the federal apparatus and cautioned that a shutdown would hinder the country’s economy.
Other congressional leaders say they oppose a shutdown of federal agencies, as well. They have signaled the possibility of needing to advance a continuing resolution prior to the Oct. 1 funding deadline.
Just before the August break, Congress agreed to a deal meant to sideline contentious budgetary fights. In June, the House advanced funding for highway safety programs and grants for infrastructure projects. The bill would provide $86.6 billion for DOT, which would be $167 million more than the 2019 enacted level. An infrastructure grants program would receive $1 billion.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration would receive $677 million, $10 million above the 2019 enacted level. Additionally, the bill would provide the Federal Highway Administration $48.9 billion, $1.7 billion above the president’s request and $404 million below the 2019 enacted level.
The Federal Railroad Administration would receive $3 billion, $877 million more than the president’s request and $96 million above the 2019 enacted level, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration would receive $1 billion, $81 million above the president’s request and $44 million above the 2019 enacted level.
