Ike Puzon posted on July 14, 2010 14:44
By Brian Friel, CQ Staff
The fiscal 2010 supplemental appropriations bill including money for military action in Iraq and Afghanistan is likely to remain stuck in a Senate logjam for weeks, a senior Senate appropriator said Tuesday.
Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, chairman of the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee, said Democrats are trying to find alternative offsets for $10 billion in funding that would help prevent layoffs of schoolteachers. The White House has threatened a veto of a House-passed version of the bill that would take the money from one of President Obama’s favorite education programs.
“Maybe there are some different offsets or something we can use,” Harkin said. “Look, nothing’s going to happen this week. Nothing’s going to happen next week. So we’ve got time to work on it.”
Senate Republicans called for quick action on the spending bill after a meeting Tuesday with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates.
“He told us clearly today that it has to be done by the end of the month or he won’t be able to pay the troops,” said Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. “We need to figure a way to get the funding for the troops in the field, and we need to do it as soon as possible.”
The Senate passed a version of the supplemental (HR 4899) in May that included $58.8 billion for the wars, disaster relief and veterans. The House added $22 billion for various domestic programs when it passed its version July 1, including the $10 billion for local school districts.
House Appropriations Chairman David R. Obey, D-Wis., included a provision cutting $800 million in funds for education initiatives favored by Obama to partially offset the added domestic costs and placate deficit concerns among House Democrats.
“We have some issues with the House on the supplemental. I don’t personally, but issues in terms of finding 60 votes in the Senate,” said Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill.
Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., said he will not support the domestic funding the House added. “We’d like to fund the troops and not have a bunch of add-ons that don’t have the emergency status that these kinds of bills ordinarily require,” he said.
Harkin said he will fight to keep the teacher funding in the bill. “It seems to me the Republicans are drawing a line and saying no money for teachers,” Harkin said. “That’s an interesting position to take.”