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Final spending package back on track after flurry of DHS talks
March 17, 2024 at 8:00pm
Lawmakers are back to writing a full-year fiscal 2024 Homeland Security appropriations bill in a dramatic, last-minute shift following White House intervention over the weekend, sources familiar with the decision said Sunday night. Appropriators had been working on a yearlong stopgap measure, negotiating necessary changes to the fiscal 2023 status quo to be included as “anomalies,” after talks on a full-year bill initially fell apart late last week.
That continuing resolution was expected to be packaged with the five remaining fiscal 2024 appropriations bills. However, as lawmakers got ready to roll out the package the White House made a late-inning request for $1.56 billion in border-related funding, arguing that a CR through Sept. 30 would be insufficient to meet existing needs.
Republicans rejected the new White House ask, arguing it was not sufficiently tied to border protection and immigration enforcement. But the two sides continued to talk throughout the day Sunday, trading options and counteroffers before the evening shift back to the regular, fully fleshed out Homeland bill.
While the situation remains fluid, the move back toward a full-fledged bill is ultimately a sign of forward momentum. However, release of text for the complete six-bill package is now expected Monday at the earliest, putting Congress on a compressed timeline to clear the legislation before Friday at midnight, when current stopgap funding lapses.
Read more: https://rollcall.com/2024/03/17/final-spending-package-back-on-track-after-flurry-of-dhs-talks/