Senate Finalizes Funding Patch That Would Block Trump’s Grant Overhaul

Senate appropriators released text Sunday of a stopgap funding bill to avert a shutdown come Oct. 1 and punt broader government funding negotiations until after the midterms.

Under the bipartisan plan, federal agencies would be funded through Dec. 11 at current levels, with some exceptions. Senate leaders have set an initial procedural vote for Monday night and want to pass the bill by the end of the week — just before senators are scheduled to leave town for a five-week recess.

When lawmakers return to the Capitol in September, House Republican leaders must then decide whether to take up the Senate funding patch, which contains a significant rebuke of President Donald Trump — a temporary ban on finalizing the White House proposal to put political appointees in charge of approving grants.

Senate Democrats wanted that addition, and top Republicans — including Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins of Maine and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski — publicly voiced support for blocking the regulation the White House is working to finalize for the new fiscal year.

Collins said in a statement Sunday that she is "pleased" about the move to delay the changes to the way agencies approve billions of dollars in federal grant awards each year, noting that she urged White House budget director Russ Vought weeks ago to nix part of the plan and extend the public comment period.

The White House would only be blocked from making changes to the grant process during the duration of the funding patch, however, and Democrats say GOP senators fought off a permanent prohibition. "Republicans rejected killing the proposed rule outright," Washington Sen. Patty Murray, the Senate's top Democratic appropriator, said in a statement, committing to "keep fighting to put a stop to it once and for all."

It’s unusual for Congress to pass a funding patch so far ahead of the Sept. 30 end of the fiscal year. But House Republicans kicked off action last month by passing their own bare-bones funding extension to pressure senators into early negotiations on a plan to avert a funding lapse just weeks before the midterm elections.

The Senate plan is the product of bipartisan negotiations between the chamber’s top appropriators. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called it a "responsible path forward" and Ryan Wrasse, a spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, said "passing it now will avert costly government shutdown in the fall."

By contrast, House Republicans advanced their version without consulting their counterparts on the other side of the aisle.

The House's top Democratic appropriator, Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro, said in a statement Sunday that the Senate version is "a clear improvement" over the House-passed bill she characterized as "an incomplete and inadequate first draft."

Unlike the House version, the Senate proposal includes language Democrats have demanded ensuring no new funding goes to immigration enforcement agencies. Republicans funded those programs through a party-line package this spring after the collapse of bipartisan negotiations on changes to the way the Trump administration carries out immigration enforcement.

The Senate proposal includes some of the funding increases and authorizations the White House sought for specific programs. It does not contain major military boosts the administration requested, however, including an extra $1 billion for a “Trump-class” battleship.

Jordain Carney contributed to this report.