Confronting the huge job of drafting changes to eight appropriations bills and folding a myriad of authorizing provisions into a multi-thousand page omnibus bill, the House has delayed a vote on passage of the catchall bill until tomorrow.
Late last week, Congress passed yet another continuing resolution to keep government open while the House and the Senate tie up loose ends on the massive spending measure, which will fund one third of the government. House GOP leaders had hoped to pass the omnibus bill Friday, but instead appropriations staffs from both sides of the aisle and both sides of the Capitol worked all weekend compiling the massive bill.
As the schedule now stands, both the House and Senate will meet in pro forma session today-at which time the Appropriations Committee will file the omnibus bill.
The House will vote on the omnibus bill at 5 p.m. Tuesday-at which time the House also will vote on any bills left over from today's suspension calendar, including legislation to implement the Chemical Weapons Treaty.
The Senate is expected to vote on the omnibus bill Tuesday, but it remained unclear whether that could be accomplished without a roll call vote. If a roll call were required, the Senate would vote no earlier than 5 p.m. Tuesday.
House Appropriations Committee aides said no major problems had developed in drafting the omnibus bill so far. And no major opposition to the bill has surfaced, although some members of the Conservative Action Team have left open the possibility they will oppose the measure.
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