Republican Study Committee Chairman Mark Walker said Monday he is supportive of the House bundling its eight remaining 2018 appropriations bills and passing it as a minibus, but he encouraged the bill be passed without the inclusion of language on other pressing issues.
“Last July after taking input from RSC members, I introduced an amendment to the ‘security minibus’ that would have brought all 12 appropriations bills to the floor and allowed for an amendment process to pass a Republican spending bill prior to the August district work period,” he said in a statement. “While I believe we should have passed our spending bills prior to adjourning and put pressure on the Senate to do the same, this decision to consolidate appropriations is the best option available with weeks left before the end of the fiscal year.’
The lower chamber managed to pass a minibus, which included four of its appropriations bills, before leaving for August recess, but Congress is tasked with completing the remaining spending bills when they return from their districts in September.
Walker said he believes for it to work successfully there needs to be “a robust amendment process” that is reflective of the GOP majorities in both chambers and the executive branch.
According to the South Carolina Republican, issues like the debt ceiling should not be rolled into the spending bill.
“Further, there are many other important issues that Congress must address by the end of September,” he said. “Unlike the appropriations process, the House should consider each of these challenges independently on the merits of the policy, not politics, and not in a consolidated fashion that forces us into a take-it-or-leave-it vote on such substantial issues before the House.”
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