Time running out for additions to DHS spending bill

House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Harold Rogers, R-Ky., said Thursday he wants a full House-Senate conference committee meeting Monday on the fiscal 2007 Homeland Security spending bill with an eye toward moving a final version to the House floor by Tuesday.

"Appointing conferees is the No. 1 immediate goal with me," Rogers said. "I would love to appoint conferees today and go to conference Monday."

But he acknowledged the biggest obstacles for House leaders to appoint conferees is finding agreement on provisions dealing with importing prescription drugs from Canada and chemical security regulations. Rogers said time is running out for getting agreements, indicating that the conference might have to go forward without them.

"We're going to leave town next Friday, and it's going to take at least a couple of days to read out this bill," he said. "It's going to be a massive bill. So, just reading it out is going to take a couple of days. We're getting pretty close to a deadline here."

House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, said conferees for the spending bill could be named as early as Thursday. "We'll know soon," he said.

Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Judd Gregg, R-N.H., expressed frustration that extraneous matters were holding up the bill. "If it were up to me and Chairman Rogers, we'd be done in two minutes," he said.

House Republican leaders met Thursday to discuss the outstanding issues. Boehner said leaders had not yet agreed on prescription drug reimportation language, which is strongly opposed by the pharmaceutical lobby but backed by a majority of conferees.

"We have the votes on both sides," said Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, R-Mo., who sponsored a House version of the measure. She said a number of potential compromises could be acceptable, but she was not being consulted. House Majority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo., expressed confidence that negotiators were nearing an agreement that would be acceptable to all sides. "I think we're getting where we need to be," he said.

Republican leaders, the White House, Rogers and Gregg all oppose drug reimportation, which would allow individuals to import legal drugs from Canada without having them seized by border agents.

House and Senate authorizers also have yet to agree on chemical security legislation "We don't have to have it, but it would be good for the country to have it," Gregg said. And, perhaps complicating matters further, Rogers said he is open to including border security provisions in the spending bill.

The House Thursday was debating three bills dealing with enforcing immigration laws and punishing illegal aliens. The Senate also was debating a bill to build more fences and barriers along the Mexican border.

Rogers noted Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., opposes attaching border security provisions to the spending bill.

"I'm with it OK, it's just that we've got to deal with the Senate on this and Sen. Specter has strong feelings about two or three of these," said Rogers. Specter said late Wednesday he is for more fencing and border protection, but not through piecemeal legislation.

Rogers said the House and Senate might be able to find common ground on some border security provisions, such as criminalizing the building of tunnels.