Volume XIX No. 2

The continuing resolution (CR) that currently funds the government runs out at midnight on January 15^th. We hoped we’d use this to discuss the details of the massive omnibus spending bill, but with less than a week to go, there’s still no public draft of the promised package of all twelve spending bills. There’s been a lot of discussion about what might be in, what might be out, but all of that is pretty much pure speculation until we actually see the package. Unfortunately, we may not know all of what’s in the bill until after it’s already enacted.

The final spending bill and the explanatory statement that accompanies it could be thousands of pages and will contain nearly $1 trillion worth of spending for fiscal year 2014. There have been reports of efforts to put scores of policy riders on the package as well. Yet, aside from a small core group, no one has seen the bill. And in the case of the Interior and Environment spending bill (one of the twelve) neither the House nor the Senate even wrote one this year, so that’s a complete unknown to both the public and lawmakers. With minimal time to study the bill, lawmakers will be asked to vote for the proverbial pig in the poke with little idea of what the appropriators stuffed in there when no one was looking.

According to recent news reports, both chambers are planning to vote on a measure early next week that would extend the current CR for three days.  That, supposedly, would give members of Congress enough time to look through the tome of an Omnibus, after its belated release this Monday, before they would have to cast a vote next Saturday. 

A more responsible approach would be to publicly release the legislation and extend the current CR for long enough for everyone to do their homework. Of course that means all of the various baubles and spoils for special interests could be exposed. Those trying to keep their prizes buried until they become a fait accompli won’t want to see this bill in the sunlight for long before it passes.  

The one positive is that after the omnibus passes, some agencies will have real budgets for the first time in years. They can plan, make changes, and do their jobs with more guidance and direction from Congress.

Next up will be the President’s Budget request for fiscal year 2015. While it’s supposed to be delivered to Congress at the end of the month, it will be at least a month late – again. Virtually all of President Obama’s budgets have been late, which makes it harder to get the spending bills done on time. At least Congress already agreed on the top line number for FY15, so that should make the process smoother and faster. There may be regular order and the bills might be completed on time. Hallelujah. The last time all the spending bills were done individually and on time was 20 years ago.

But there are storm clouds on the horizon. Between the spending bills and budget release there’s a sticky wicket called the debt ceiling. Secretary of Treasury Jack Lew has said that the nation will reach the statutory limit on borrowing in March and will have exhausted all their extraordinary measures to game they system. Last time, rather than shut the government down, the debt ceiling paved the way for the deal to get the government back working. Let’s hope cool heads prevail in addressing this next deadline.  No one should play chicken with the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury. It’s not worth it.

The first session of the 113^th Congress was a bust. But if Congress actually does its job responsibly this session, they could redeem themselves and save their jobs.