Two Senate Appropriations subcommittees were scheduled to release their spending ideas for fiscal 2012, yesterday. Energy and Water and Homeland Security were expected to add their budgetary ideas to the mix. Both were expected to include boosts, without offsets, in funding for disaster aid. Time is limited. Only about a dozen workdays are scheduled for both the House and Senate before the start of the next budget year.
So far the House has passed six of the dozen regular measures and has no plans to bring any others to the floor. Meanwhile, the Senate has passed just one but is talking about trying to pass at least a few more. Many observers expect continuing resolutions to be the answer to any questions about a government shutdown. |