Senator holds out hope for finishing spending bills

Despite a pre-emptive veto threat from the White House and signs that Democratic leaders are resigned to a continuing resolution until possibly next year, Senate Appropriations Chairman Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., urged Senate leaders to schedule votes for the 12 annual spending bills.

"I have urged the bipartisan leadership to make time on the floor for consideration of our appropriations bills," Byrd said before the full committee approved the Transportation-HUD, Energy and Water, and Financial Services appropriations bills.

The panel has now approved six of the 12 appropriations bills, including the Commerce-Justice-Science, Homeland Security and Labor-HHS measures passed last month.

"Unfortunately, President Bush's veto threats have discouraged some from wanting to get important funding legislation on the Senate floor," Byrd said. "We are a separate branch and we hold the power over the purse. This senator will continue to urge that we complete our work."

Earlier this year Bush said he would veto any appropriations bill that exceeds recommendations in his fiscal 2009 budget proposal.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said earlier Thursday that the Senate could finish work on two of the 12 annual appropriations bills before Congress passes a continuing resolution that would likely fund the federal government until a new president and Congress takes over next year.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has also indicated that the House will not likely finish work on all the appropriations bills.

House leaders hope to wrap up for the year by Sept. 26, according to an aide.

Despite Reid's prediction, he conceded that the Senate Appropriations Committee would likely finish considering all the spending bills. Byrd said he and Appropriations ranking member Thad Cochran, R-Miss., intend to complete committee consideration of the fiscal 2009 bills by the end of the month.

Byrd also said he has scheduled for July 22 a full committee markup of a second supplemental spending package.

"The thrust of this legislation will be to provide critical infrastructure funding and to respond to national disasters such as the California wildfires, the Midwest floods and Hurricane Katrina," Byrd said.

Lawmakers are also increasingly looking to the package to fund their spending priorities as prospects for completion of the 12 annual spending bills dims.

Byrd also said that the full committee will mark up the Interior, Defense, and Legislative Branch appropriations bill July 24.