House OKs funding, heads to Senate

WASHINGTON – U.S. House leadership reached an agreement March 21 on a spending bill that would fund the government until the end of September. On March 22, the full House approved the $1.3T spending bill on a 256-167 vote, and sending the measure to the Senate for approval in an attempt to avert a government shutdown. The agreement would end negotiations that leave little time for the Senate to pass the measure before current funding expires after midnight Saturday, March 24. The bill would lift spending for the military and a wide range of domestic programs that would deliver political points for both parties. The bill would implement the first part of the two-year budget deal passed last month, the third agreement lawmakers have struck to get around spending curbs passed in 2011. Lawmakers will now have only two days to consider and pass the 2,232-page bill before government funding expires at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. After passage, the bill still must go to the Senate for a vote. (Source: Wall Street Journal 03/22/18) Gulf Coast Note: The spending bill would fund 14 new ships, give the Navy more than $3B more than it requested. A draft of the Omnibus spending bill showed the Navy was in line to get $23.8B for shipbuilding. The budget buys, among other things, include three Littoral Combat Ships, and an LX(R) amphibious ship. The measure also included 24 F/A-18 Super Hornets – 10 more than requested – and six MQ-8C Fire Scouts. An extra $600M for five MC-130Js for Air Force Special Operations for an overall procurement of 10 aircraft. The service would also get one additional HC-130J, for a total of three. Austal USA of Mobile, Ala., builds one of the two LCS variants; HII-Pascagoula, Miss., builds “amphibs”; and Hurlburt Field, Fla., is home to the Air Force special operations command.