Hoyer Says Congress May Pass Long-Term CR
If Senate Republicans succeed in amending the $410 billion omnibus bill, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said on Tuesday, Congress may just punt on the package altogether and pass another continuing resolution to keep the government funded for the rest of the fiscal year.The Senate appears poised to vote Tuesday on an amendment by Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) that would require Members to vote every year on whether to give themselves pay raises. Currently, the pay increase is automatic, sparing lawmakers from a politically charged vote.If that amendment is attached to the omnibus, “one option that is certainly on the table is just passing a CR … a clean CR,— Hoyer said. The government is currently funded under a continuing resolution that expires on Wednesday.Hoyer expressed frustration with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) for telling House leaders that the omnibus bill had been vetted, and that it had the votes to pass the Senate when that wasn’t the case. Senate Republicans have spent recent weeks forcing votes on scores of amendments to major bills, a process they say makes them more comfortable with letting Democrats’ legislation pass.