The House measure would expire Dec. 15 while discretionary and mandatory spending on the health law would end permanently. The measure also would include a provision to prioritize U.S. debt payments in the event of a standoff on the borrowing limit.
The House vote is scheduled with the deadline for reaching a budget deal 12 days away and the government closing in on its debt ceiling. After the vote on the spending measure, members next week could vote on an increase in borrowing authority.
House leaders canceled a planned one-week work period in their districts.
Keystone, Taxes
Republican legislation to raise the debt ceiling will include a one-year delay of the health law, a “path forward” on revamping the U.S. tax code and the approval of TransCanada Corp.’s proposed Keystone XL pipeline, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, a Virginia Republican, told reporters yesterday.
The bill also would include possible cuts to entitlement programs, according to Representative Tom Cole, an Oklahoma Republican.
In anticipation of a possible shutdown the Obama administration is urging agencies to prepare as the president yesterday told business executives that Republicans are holding the budget hostage as part of an “ideological fight.”
Congress hasn’t passed a budget for the year starting Oct. 1. If the White House and lawmakers can’t agree on stopgap funding, most, though not all, operations would come to a halt.
Business Appeal
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, said the chamber would wait until the House passes a measure before acting. Democrats have said they won’t defund the health-care law. The Senate is expected to start considering the spending bill on Sept. 23 with goal of finishing by Sept. 26.