Update from Washington, D.C. 04/20/2012
Following their two-week spring recess, members of Congress
returned to the nation’s capital on April 16 to face a growing
list of issues to sort through.
The Senate focused much of its attention on legislation that
would significantly overhaul the operations and finances of the
U.S. Postal Service (USPS). In a cost-cutting move, the
struggling agency announced earlier this year a plan that
includes closing thousands of post offices and half of the
nation’s mail processing centers, extending delivery times for
first-class mail, and eliminating Saturday delivery.
After some disagreement about the floor process for the
legislation, Senate leaders struck an agreement Thursday evening
on a list of amendments to consider when the measure comes before
the full Senate next week. As currently drafted, the bipartisan
measure (S 1789) would delay the Postal Service’s proposed move
to a five-day delivery schedule for at least two more years. It
would also require the agency to downsize, rather than close,
most of the processing facilities it wants to shut down.
Aside from postal reform, Senate Budget Chairman Kent Conrad
(D-ND) proceeded to a markup on a long-term deficit reduction
plan modeled on recommendations from the president’s 2010 fiscal
commission. Conrad moved ahead with his plan despite Senate
Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-NV) stated insistence that he
would not bring a budget resolution to the floor. Reid has
maintained that the Senate does not need a budget resolution
because last year’s debt limit deal (PL 112-25) already set an
overall spending cap for fiscal year 2013. In somewhat of a
compromise between Conrad and Reid, the committee did not take
votes or allow amendments.
Senate Republicans, however, are still expected to push for votes
on several budget proposals in the coming weeks, and may even try
to force a vote on Conrad’s proposal. In addition, Republican
leaders are likely to seek a vote on the budget resolution (H Con
Res 112) put forward by House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI)
and adopted by the House last month.
In related budget news, appropriators in both chambers this week
began to unveil their draft spending bills for fiscal year 2013
despite working under different discretionary caps. Senate
appropriators will proceed with the $1.047 trillion spending cap
set in PL 112-25, up slightly from the current year’s $1.043
trillion level. For their part, House appropriators are expected
to endorse lower spending allocations based on the $1.028
trillion discretionary spending level outlined in the lower
chamber’s fiscal year 2013 budget resolution.
The Senate Appropriations Committee considered two draft fiscal
year 2013 spending bills this week, namely
Commerce-Justice-Science (CJS) and Transportation, Housing and
Urban Development (T-HUD).
Overall, the CJS bill would provide $51.9 billion in
discretionary spending for the Commerce and Justice Departments,
as well as NASA and other agencies. The total is $1.1 billion
less than what was enacted in fiscal year 2012 and the same as
President Obama’s request.
With regard to the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program
(SCAAP), the bill includes $255 million for fiscal year 2013. The
recommended funding level is $15 million more than current
spending.
On the other side of the Capitol, the House CJS Subcommittee
approved its own measure Thursday that would provide roughly $760
million less than its Senate counterpart. The subcommittee
included $165 million for SCAAP, or $75 million less than the
fiscal year 2012 spending level.
CSAC is in the process of exploring potential amendments that
could boost funding for SCAAP in fiscal year 2013.
Senate appropriators also advanced a fiscal year 2013 T-HUD
spending measure that would provide $53.4 billion in
discretionary funds for the Transportation and HUD departments, a
drop of nearly $4 billion from the 2012 enacted level. It should
be noted that the legislation would maintain highway and transit
programs at current funding levels.
The bill also includes the Obama administration’s $500 million
request for the TIGER grant program, which supports a variety of
transportation and infrastructure project grants. Of those funds,
$120 million would be reserved for projects in rural
communities.
In other transportation developments, the House approved on April
18 legislation that would extend surface transportation programs
through the end of the fiscal year. Advancement of the short-term
bill (HR 4348), which was cleared on a 293-127 vote, represents
the latest strategy in the House GOP’s effort to spur action on a
long-term highway and transit reauthorization measure.
At this juncture, the House Republican strategy is proceeding as
intended, as Senate Democrats have called for House leaders to
quickly name conferees. The Senate is expected to set up a
conference by substituting the two-year, $109 billion highway
bill (S 1813) it passed last month for the language in the latest
House extension, then passing the measure by unanimous consent.
House leadership then intends to use the five-year bill it was
unable to bring to the floor as the basis for negotiations in
conference.
Notably, House Republicans have included in their short-term
package a provision intended to force the Obama administration to
approve the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline. The Office of
Management and Budget has released a Statement of Administration
Policy indicating that the administration strongly opposes the
House legislation, due in large part to the inclusion of the
Keystone provision.
Additionally, the House extension includes project streamlining
provisions from House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
Chairman John Mica’s (R-FL) original transportation bill (HR 7),
including a proposed environmental “reciprocity” program.
Specifically, under the measure, a State would be permitted to
use State laws and procedures to conduct reviews and make project
approvals in lieu of Federal environmental laws and regulations
if the Secretary determines that State requirements provide
protection that is substantially equivalent to applicable Federal
laws.
The aforementioned language is consistent with the reciprocity
proposal (HR 2389) that Representative Gary Miller (R-CA)
developed in conjunction with CSAC.
In other news, as part of a House budget reconciliation measure
expected to be considered on the floor in May, the House
Agriculture and Ways and Means Committees this week adopted cuts
to several human services programs.
For its part, the Agriculture Committee adopted by voice vote
cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP),
including cutting the SNAP benefit and making it more difficult
for recipients of other human services programs to automatically
qualify for SNAP. The Ways and Means Committee approved a
provision to terminate the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG)
beginning on October 1, 2012. California receives about $150
million annually in SSBG funds and targets them primarily to
child care and other children’s services.
The SNAP and SSBG provisions will be bundled into a larger House
budget package containing savings which are intended to obviate
or lessen the need for across-the-board cuts in January 2013. It
should be noted that the House budget bill will likely be
rejected by the Senate. The SNAP cuts, however, are likely to be
considered during the Farm Bill reauthorization process later
this year.