House, Senate reach agreement on subcommittee spending levels – By Jennifer Shutt (Roll Call) / Nov 23 2019
The 12 subcommittees are expected to begin working on the fiscal 2020 bills immediately
The appropriations process appeared to get back on track Saturday after House Appropriations Chairwoman Nita M. Lowey and Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard C. Shelby reached an agreement on subcommittee allocations, according to two sources familiar with the negotiations.
The accord is a positive sign for appropriators, who have been waiting for months to learn how much of the $1.37 trillion in fiscal 2020 funding they would have to spend on each of their bills.
The agreement on funding levels for the 12 appropriations bills, sometimes referred to as 302(b)s, does not include a bipartisan solution on border wall spending, the thorniest issue facing appropriators and the sole policy dispute that led to a 35-day partial government shutdown last year.
Negotiators hope to work out the border wall issue as they solve the various spending levels and policy differences between the dozen annual spending bills, according to one of the sources.
Continue to article: http://www.rollcall.com/news/congress/house-senate-reach-agreement-subcommittee-spending-levels
Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., talks with reporters in July. Lowey and Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard C. Shelby have reportedly reached an agreement on subcommittee allocations. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo)
