House lawmakers are hoping to wrap up legislative business next week by passing three tax reform bills and a massive spending bill that would prevent a government shutdown.
The fiscal year ends Sept. 30, and lawmakers are poised to cleanly avoid the usual partisan showdown over federal spending that has ensnared the House and Senate for years.
They are expected to approve a massive measure funding the Defense Department for fiscal year 2019 at $607 billion. The measure would provide the Health and Human Services, Labor, and Education Departments with a total of $178 billion for the year.
The measure includes a continuing resolution for the remaining unfinished spending legislation, which encompasses seven spending bills and amounts to about 25 percent of federal spending.
The “CR” funds those seven budgets until Dec. 7, which would give Congress several weeks in the post-election lame duck session to come with year-long bills. The Senate passed the measure, including the CR provision, last week.
Among the bills the the CR temporarily funds at 2018 levels is the Department of Homeland Security, which means no funding increase.
Trump has been tweeting angrily about the lack of wall funding, suggesting he might refuse to sign the government spending bills without significant border wall funding, but he has also said he’s worried that a government shutdown would hurting GOP candidates ahead of the Nov. 6 midterm election.
Trump signed the first three government spending bills, packaged in a “mini-bus” on Friday.
A day earlier, he tweeted, “I want to know, where is the money for Border Security and the WALL in this ridiculous Spending Bill, and where will it come from after the Midterms? Dems are obstructing Law Enforcement and Border Security. REPUBLICANS MUST FINALLY GET TOUGH!”
Republicans leaders in the House and Senate said they have an agreement with Trump to sign all the bills before the Sept. 30 deadline.
House lawmakers are scheduled to be in session until mid-October, but have been angling to leave two weeks early in order to campaign ahead of the election.
House Republicans are particularly eager to get home to voters. Dozens of GOP lawmakers are in toss-up positions or are losing to Democrats in polls, and analysts give Democrats a good chance of reclaiming the majority.
Before leaving Washington, Republicans next week will approve a set of tax reform measures they hope will bolster their economic message to voters.
The trio of bills, on the schedule for late in the week, would make permanent the individual tax cuts set to expire in 2025, expand retirement savings options, and give startup businesses more tax deductions.
The bills are expected to pass without most or all Democrats and minus a dozen Republicans from high-tax states. Those GOP opponents say the tax law’s $10,000 cap on state and local taxes hurts many of their constituents.
