House passes stopgap bill, deal reached

The House on Friday approved stop-gap legislation that would fund federal government programs through October as part of the $4.65 billion fiscal 2010 Legislative Branch Appropriations bill.

The package, which passed 217-190, is expected to be considered by the Senate on Tuesday, one day before the fiscal year ends. The continuing resolution is needed to give Congress additional time to finish all 12 of the annual spending bills.

The package passed despite GOP criticism about including the continuing resolution in the Legislative Branch Appropriations bill, which funds congressional operations -- a move they contend reflected skewed priorities.

"No one ... is well served by a government shutdown," said House Appropriations Committee ranking member Jerry Lewis, R-Calif. "However, putting the interests of members of Congress before the interests of the American people is a poor way to do business."

House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey, D-Wis., said the decision to attach the CR to the Legislative Branch bill was made because it was the only measure ready to be reconciled with the Senate.

"Our principal obligation on this bill is simply to keep the government open," Obey said. "We concluded that the least disruptive way to do that ... was to attach this continuing resolution to the one appropriations bill that was ready to be conferenced."

The other four spending measures completed by both chambers had been held up over a provision in the House bills requiring that for-profit earmarks be competitively bid. Senate appropriators opposed the provision and had insisted that the House drop it.

Obey announced on Friday the House and Senate had struck a deal to break the impasse. House earmarks for fiscal 2010 will still have to meet the bidding requirement, but the approximately 5 percent of projects that overlap in the House and Senate versions do not. Senate fiscal 2010 earmarks are exempt from the House requirement this year. However, after fiscal 2010 the overlapping earmarks will be subject to House policy.

The agreement "will enable us to proceed to conference on a number of other appropriations bills," Obey said.

The CR also includes language mandating that no funds go to the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. The group responded on Friday with a statement charging that such language is unconstitutional because it targets a specific group, and noted that ACORN is not under criminal charges.

"One unintended -- and positive -- consequence of the witch hunt against ACORN is that it could help rein in the likes of Halliburton and Blackwater and even Wall St. If the standard is that organizations that have broken the law shouldn't get federal money, then let's set that standard consistently," said the statement.

The House on Friday also named conferees for the Energy and Water Appropriations bill, with the conference scheduled for Tuesday evening.

A conference for the Agriculture bill could be held next week, possibly followed by one for the Homeland Security Appropriations bill, Obey said.

Meanwhile, the Senate began work on Friday on the $636 billion Defense Appropriations bill. A vote on amendments to the measure could come as soon as Tuesday evening.

An aide to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said on Friday the Senate is eyeing consideration of either the Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations bill or the Military Construction measure once it completes the Defense bill.

Dan Friedman contributed to this report.