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A2 UP FRONT
Monday 19 March 2018

Lawmakers quibble over details of $1.3T US spending bill

By ANDREW TAYLOR most powerful Democratic domestic programs.
Associated Press adversary. The bill would implement
WASHINGTON (AP) — Top- The bipartisan measure is last month's big budget
level congressional talks loaded with political and agreement, providing 10
on a $1.3 trillion catchall policy victories for both percent increases for both
spending bill are reaching sides. Republicans and the Pentagon and domes-
a critical stage as negotia- Trump are winning a long- tic agencies when com-
tors confront immigration, sought budget increase for pared with current levels.
abortion-related issues and the Pentagon while Demo- Coupled with last year's tax
a battle over a massive rail crats obtain funding for cut measure, it heralds the
project that pits President infrastructure, the opioid return of trillion-dollar bud-
Donald Trump against his crisis and a wide swath of get deficits as soon as the

The U.S. Capitol in the early morning in Washington. Top-level
Capitol Hill talks on a massive $1.3 trillion catchall spending bill
are reaching a critical stage as negotiators confront immigra-
tion issues, abortion-related controversies, and a battle over a
massive rail project that pits President Donald Trump against his
most powerful Democratic adversary.
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

budget year starting in Oc- Capitol on Thursday.
tober. The Gateway Project would
While most of the funding is- add an $11 billion rail tun-
sues in the enormous mea- nel under the Hudson River
sure have been sorted out, to complement deterio-
fights involving a number of rating, century-old tunnels
policy "riders" — so named that are at risk of closing
because they catch a in a few years. It enjoys bi-
ride on a difficult-to-stop partisan support among
spending bill — continued key Appropriations panel
into the weekend. Among negotiators on the omnibus
them are GOP-led efforts to measure who want to get
add a plan to revive feder- the expensive project on
al subsidies to help the poor track while their coffers are
cover out-of-pocket costs flush with money.
under President Barack Most House Republicans
Obama's health law and voted to kill the funding
to fix a glitch in the recent in a tally last year, how-
tax bill that subsidizes grain ever, preferring to see the
sales to cooperatives at the money spread to a greater
expense of for-profit grain number of districts.
companies. "Obviously, if we're do-
Trump has privately threat- ing a huge earmark ... it's
ened to veto the whole troubling," said Rep. Mark
package if a $900 million Meadows, R-N.C., a lead-
payment is made on the er of House conservatives.
Hudson River Gateway Proj- "Why would we do that?
ect, a priority of top Senate Schumer's pet project
Democrat Chuck Schumer and we pass that under
of New York. Trump's oppo- a Republican-controlled
sition is alarming northeast- Senate, House and White
ern Republicans such as House?"
Gateway supporter Peter Schumer has kept a low
King, R-N.Y., who lobbied profile, avoiding stoking a
Trump on the project at a battle with the unpredict-
St. Patrick's luncheon in the able Trump.q