Make America Secure and Prosperous Appropriations Act, 2018

The House Rules Committee announced today that is working on massive, multi-department spending bill to be considered when the House returns from summer recess. It is a move to cut short the spending process so that there may be a chance to pass a government spending bill before the September 30^th deadline. The Rules Committee is calling for submission of amendments by 10:00 am on August 25^th.

The combined bill is a complete re-write of HR 3354, the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018. The draft language incorporates most of the language from that bill and:

HR 3268 – Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018;

HR 3267 – Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018;

HR 3280 – Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2018;

HR 3355 – Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2018;

HR 3358 – Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018;

HR 3362 – Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2018; and

HR 3353 – Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018

The House has already passed a combined spending bill for the other four spending bills not covered above. That bill, HR 3219, included the following spending bills:

• The Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2018;

• The Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2018;

• The Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018; and

• The Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018.

Combining eight spending bills into one big package could greatly reduce the amount of time required on the floor of the House for debate. I expect the Rules Committee would come up with a structured rule, with a few hundred floor amendments. The bill would almost certainly be passed in the House in a single week. The big question is whether or not the Senate would be allowed to take up the giant bill. Depending on what riders make it into the House passed version, I could almost expect to see an unusual amalgam of liberals and conservatives combining to block the moderate majority from considering and passing the bill.