Page 15 - HOH

A4 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 19 June 2019

Senate leaders agree on measure to care for refugees

By ANDREW TAYLOR vaney, President Donald Pentagon request. other round of automatic tumult is a Wednesday floor
Associated Press Trump’s chief of staff. Republicans have been cuts to government spend- vote on a $1 trillion House
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Wednesday afternoon’s exhibiting divisions among ing called sequestration spending bill that sets out
top Republican and Demo- talks — on double-bar- themselves, with pragma- would strike early next year, a marker by Democrats for
crat on a key Senate panel the upcoming negotiations
have agreed on a $4.6 bil- of the line-by-line spending
lion measure to house and bills required to fund the
care for immigrant refu- government.
gees flocking across the The Senate has yet to begin
U.S.-Mexico border — a its painstaking work on the
long-delayed step toward legislation since McConnell
averting a humanitarian and Senate Appropriations
tragedy at overcrowded Committee Chairman Rich-
and inadequate federal ard Shelby, R-Ala., are seek-
facilities in the southwest. ing an overall broad agree-
Sens. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., ment on the “top line” fig-
and Richard Shelby, R-Ala., ures for both the Pentagon
will unveil the measure at and domestic programs.
an Appropriations Com- The House bill blends mili-
mittee session Wednesday, tary spending dear to Re-
aides to the duo said. publicans with education,
A bipartisan vote is expect- health, and energy and
ed and both sides hope water programs that en-
the measure can pass both joy bipartisan support. But
chambers next week, just the measure far exceeds
in time to replenish federal Trump’s budget request
humanitarian aid coffers for domestic programs,
before they run completely attracting a White House
dry. veto threat, and contains
The legislation comes as re- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., joined by his GOP leadership team, answers policy “riders” related to
cord numbers of migrants questions on Iran and the withdrawal of acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, during a abortion and other hot-
are traveling to the border. news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, June 18, 2019. button issues that will drive
“This is a humanitarian crisis Associated Press away any potential GOP
of gargantuan proportions. support, though Democrats
It needs to be dealt with reled legislation to set new tists like McConnell, R-Ky., cutting $70 billion from cur- sidestepped a potentially
and I hope we’re going “caps” on spending ac- and White House hard lin- rent levels for the military divisive battle over taxpay-
to see a sign of bipartisan counts controlled by Con- ers like Mulvaney, a former and another $55 billion from er-financed abortion.
cooperation in the Appro- gress and also increase the tea party congressman, nondefense programs. Action on the measure
priations Committee,” said government’s so-called and budget director Russell The muddled picture has comes as Democrats have
Majority Leader Mitch Mc- debt limit — are intended Vought struggling to get on sparked concerns of an- been struggling to get
Connell, R-Ky. to set a more orderly fiscal the same page. other government shut- their message out above
Meanwhile, top-level ne- agenda that would permit Trump hasn’t displayed down, the return of an the political din of Trump’s
gotiations over paying the relatively routine passage much interest in the talks, automatic $125 billion in Washington.
country’s bills and funding of both spending bills and which come six months spending cuts to the Pen- The bill wraps four of the 12
about $1.3 trillion in agency drama-free consideration after he started a 35-day tagon and domestic agen- annual spending measures
budgets are set to recon- of the debt limit legislation, partial government shut- cies, and a first-ever default into one, and Democrats
vene Wednesday, in an ef- required this fall to avert a down following lawmakers on U.S. government obliga- are boasting of gains for
fort to head off a financial market-rattling default on rebuffing his border wall tions like interest payments. head start, health research,
train wreck when a series of U.S. obligations like bond demands. “Our guys are going to and fighting the opioid epi-
deadlines hit this fall. payments. McConnell is also a leading have to be flexible going demic, among the myriad
The bipartisan budget talks It won’t be easy. An early force in the budget and in, the president’s going programs covered by the
are aimed at preventing burst of optimism after an debt talks. House Demo- to have to be flexible if he measure.
automatic spending cuts initial round of meetings crats are going ahead with wants to get his defense It also contains provisions to
threatening the top priori- late month has faded. spending bills, but all sides number, and obviously he’s block Trump from reassign-
ties of both Democrats and Democrats are moving are working on a separate going to have to work with ing military appropriations
Republicans. ahead with legislation track to strike a deal on the the Democrats on some to fund his border wall, and
McConnell and House — also slated to pass on overall amount of money of things they want to get contains significantly more
Speaker Nancy Pelosi are Wednesday — that spends to be allocated for defense done,” said No. 2 Senate money for family planning,
taking the lead, along with way more on domestic pro- and nondefense appropri- Republicans John Thune of pre-school education and
Treasury Secretary Steven grams than Trump has re- ations this year. South Dakota. child care, and research
Mnuchin and Mick Mul- quested, while curbing his Without an agreement, an- Largely unnoticed amid the into dangerous diseases.q