House advances on Interior spending bill, including CR

The House on Thursday approved the $32.2 billion, fiscal 2010 Interior-Environment Appropriations conference report, which includes stopgap spending legislation that would fund government programs at fiscal 2009 levels through Dec. 18.

The measure passed 247-178, with most opposition coming from Republicans who cited concerns over the bill's 17 percent increase over fiscal 2009 levels and the inclusion of the continuing resolution. The Senate could act on the bill later Thursday.

House Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee ranking member Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, appeared to be in favor of the rule Wednesday, but Thursday he said he cannot support it due to the bill's cost. He added he would have preferred a standalone CR. But since conference reports cannot be amended, he said, he understood why Democratic leaders decided to attach it.

The conference report is $4.7 billion over the fiscal 2009 bill and would provide $10.3 billion for the EPA; $6.7 billion for Native American and Alaska Native programs; $3.5 billion for efforts to prevent and fight wildfires on lands in the jurisdiction of the Forest Service and the Interior Department; and $2.7 billion for national parks.

The continuing resolution would replace the current funding extension, which runs through the end of the week. The new CR is needed to give lawmakers more time to finish work on the 12 annual appropriations bills.

The Interior measure would be the fifth completed bill lawmakers have sent to President Obama. The House has cleared all 12 spending bills, while the Senate has finished seven. House and Senate negotiators are working on reconciling differences between their respective versions of the fiscal 2010 Transportation-HUD Appropriations bill and the fiscal 2010 Defense spending measure. The Defense spending measure might be a vehicle for an omnibus package if Democratic leaders decide there is not enough time to finish the bills individually.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said on Thursday that the Senate expects to get the conference report and CR "as early as this afternoon." He indicated weekend work was a possibility.

"We hope to reach a short time agreement to consider that conference agreement," he said. "If we're not able to do that, we're going to have some votes tomorrow and it could spill over into Saturday, if we can't work anything out. We have people waiting for that money."

Dan Friedman contributed to this report.