Senate OKs ‘minibus’ bills; House next

The Senate approved a $147B funding package on a 92-5 vote on Sept. 12 for Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, Military Construction, and Veterans Affairs’ FY 2019 appropriations. The package now goes to the House for consideration. This "first minibus" bill includes three of 12 FY-19 appropriations bills that need to be passed by Oct. 1, the start of the new fiscal year. If all three are approved by both chambers, and signed by the president, they would account for nearly 90 percent of annual federal spending, including the military. Congress would still have to patch short-term spending for a portion of the government, including Homeland Security, which oversees the president’s wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. None of the three proposed packages considered spending for the wall. The three-bill bundle features a $5.1B increase for Veterans Affairs (VA), including $1.1B to pay for a law Trump signed in June to give veterans more freedom to see doctors outside the VA healthcare system. The bills also include $44.6B for energy and water programs, including programs to ensure nuclear stockpile readiness and spur innovation in energy research. They also fund flood-control projects and addresses regional ports and waterways. (Source: CBS 08/13/18)