House, Senate leaders vow to 'grind out' spending bills

House and Senate Republican leaders have decided to stand by their current appropriations strategy, despite the failure of either chamber to pass any fiscal 2001 spending bills last week and the looming end of the fiscal year. "We're going to grind this thing out," said a spokesman for House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill. After meeting late last week, GOP leaders decided to continue trying to enact "minibus" appropriations conference reports, moving the spending bills in pairs for what they said was maximum efficiency. "Things pile up all the time at the end of a session," explained House Majority Whip Tom DeLay, R-Texas, who said the deadline would provide the necessary pressure to move legislation. "Hopefully, all of this ends up falling together in the next week." With the end of the fiscal year a week away, leaders also decided they would pass a one-week continuing resolution. But Senate Democrats showed no signs of backing down against the GOP's tactic of using less controversial conference reports as vehicles to move bills the Senate has not yet considered-a tactic that led to the 68-29 defeat of the combined Legislative Branch/Treasury-Postal conference report last week. "We should have a chance to vote on a bill of this import," said Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., vowing to object to the tactic in the future. Four FY2001 appropriations bills reported out of the Senate Appropriations Committee--Treasury-Postal, VA-HUD, Commerce-Justice-State and District of Columbia--have never been debated or open to amendment on the Senate floor. Daschle said Senate Democrats would agree to time limits for debate and time limits on amendments in order to pass a bill a day, but stressed that senators should have the chance to amend those bills. Senate Appropriations ranking member Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., took to the floor Thursday to decry the breakdown of the appropriations process in the Senate and suggested, "It would be useful for both leaders to appoint a group of senators to discuss these remaining appropriations bills, and what amendments our colleagues deem most important to be offered." Senate Majority Leader Lott, R-Miss., Friday rebuffed the bill-a-day offer. "I think time for that has run out," he said. Lott defended his decision to try to pass a combined Treasury- Postal/Legislative Branch appropriations bill, which went down in defeat Wednesday, blaming the failure on a "confluence" of events. Lott called the vote "one of the more cowardly votes that I've seen over the years. At some point, the Senate's going to have to vote for these things if they want to ever complete their work," referring to the cost of living increase for members of Congress. Lott said the Senate would not likely take it up again, but rather would address White House requests to increase funding for the IRS, although he termed those requests "unfortunate." Following a Thursday afternoon bicameral meeting, GOP leaders appeared to shy away from talk of sending members home to campaign this month while leaders and appropriators negotiate the final details of an FY2001 spending package with the White House. Daschle indicated his distaste for the idea. "We ought to be running the country, not the campaign," he said. "The President will insist on short-term CRs," referring to continuing resolutions. Asked if Republican leaders had discussed the prospect of combining appropriations measures into a large catch-all spending bill, Hastert's spokesman recoiled and said, "Minibus--not omnibus." And DeLay stressed to reporters that despite plans to pair spending bills, each conference report is being negotiated on its own.