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Senate leaders announced a budget
deal Wednesday that will increase federal spending by about $400 billion over
two years, but the proposal faces potential resistance in the House.
The budget agreement negotiated by
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck
Schumer, D-N.Y., calls for a $63 billion increase in domestic spending and $80
billion more for defense spending. The deal includes similar spending levels
for 2019.
The bill also calls for the lifting
of limits on federal spending, which would allow the repeating increases in
defense and domestic budgets.
The agreement also includes disaster
relief for areas still coping with hurricane and wildfire cleanup efforts and
additional funding for opioid treatment, each a priority for Democrats.
Schumer addressed the Senate to
announce the agreement early Wednesday afternoon, noting the inclusion of
several of the Democrats' demands. The agreement was reached after Senate
Democrats agreed to set aside their immigration policy demands -- something
House Democrats may not be willing to do.
It makes no reference to protected,
undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States as children, commonly
known as Dreamers.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi
said Wednesday she wouldn't support any budget bill unless House Speaker Paul
Ryan includes legislation for DACA recipients. Many other House Democrats are
expected to follow suit.
"This morning, we took a measure
of our Caucus because the package does nothing to advance bipartisan
legislation to protect Dreamers in the House. Without a commitment from Speaker
Ryan comparable to the commitment from Leader McConnell, this package does not
have my support," Pelosi said in a statement.
Current funding for the government
expires at midnight Thursday.
"I'm confident there's not going
to be a government shutdown, and there shouldn't be," Sen. Susan Collins,
R-Maine, said earlier.
The House passed a short-term budget
deal Tuesday, which is separate from the Senate's agreement. Both houses will
have to agree on one spending bill to send it to President Donald Trump -- and
Pelosi's remarks indicate that the Senate proposal may face tough opposition in
the lower chamber.
Some conservative House Republicans
object to the increased spending, while Democrats in the chamber want
assurances on immigration. Trump has pledged to end DACA next month --
potentially leading to an untold number deportations -- unless the Obama-era
program is reformed by Congress.
https://insurancenewsnet.com/oarticle/senate-leaders-agree-2-year-spending-deal-worth-400b
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