The 2,322-page omnibus spending bill Congress has been haggling over since last week finally landed Wednesday night at 8 PM ET, a late arrival for a bill that has to work through both House and Senate parliamentary procedures and pass by Friday at midnight to keep government open. That first parliamentary procedure is the rule that sets the parameters for debate on the House floor, and Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi is whipping her members to vote against it.
Pelosi said that "Republicans could easily have joined us in providing real protection for the Dreamers but refused to do so," and pointed out that Speaker Paul Ryan himself last month said that the budget agreement would allow them to "get on to the next big priority, which is a DACA solution." He also said, "I'll say it once and I'll say it again, we will bring a DACA solution to the floor." That's not happening. "Because the Speaker continues to reject our request for a vote on the Dream Act," Pelosi said, "I urge a NO vote on the rule."
That will mean Ryan needs to get his disgruntled members to support the procedural vote. And they are definitely disgruntled, making the usual arguments about the deficit and out-of-control-spending and why isn't it defunding Planned Parenthood and sanctuary cities, because of course all these people who happily voted to give something like $2 trillion away in lost tax revenue three months ago now care about the deficit. The other roadblock, Trump seems to have been mollified. They managed to convince Trump that he gets some money for his border wall, (he doesn’t), and also somehow managed to hide the fact that they are sending funding to the Gateway infrastructure project that he has a grudge against. So he’s supporting it.
So the $1.3 trillion bill seems set, with $78 billion in spending for the military and $52 billion for domestic spending. In terms of that spending, here are some of the major provisions and concessions in the bill:
- A deal on the Gateway tunnel-and-rail project connecting New York and New Jersey. The project can receive up to $541 million in federal funds, far short of the $900 million that Congress originally authorized and that Trump opposed.
- A narrow background check bill for gun purchases known as Fix NICS, as well as grants to make schools safer in the wake of the Florida school shooting. A third provision, backed by Democrats, would allow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study gun violence as a public health issue, something banned under a law known as the Dickey Amendment.
- More than $1 billion for border security and new surveillance technology—funding demanded by President Trump—though with restrictions, demanded by the Democrats, that the money can’t underwrite new construction of the imposing concrete border wall Trump promised during the campaign. It provides $641 million for 33 miles of new fences or levees; and $630 million for repairs, technology enhancements and related efforts.
With the glaring exception of DACA, the bill is far less damaging than it could have been, and there are some surprising gains for Democrats, particularly and surprisingly on guns with Republicans finally blinking on background checks and—after years—the Dickey Amendment. Even without Democratic votes, the first procedural vote will likely pass, allowing it to move forward. Then Democrats will be able to freely vote on the final passage, and Republican maniacs to vote against it.
Of course, no one knows what Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) is going to do tomorrow when the bill hits the Senate, much to his attention-seeking satisfaction, I'm sure.