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U.S. House and Senate Agree to Framework for Budget Bill
The U.S. House of Representatives has agreed to the budget framework proposed by the U.S. Senate by a narrow majority vote of 216-214. The vote clears the way for the two chambers of Congress to begin work on a reconciliation package that would extend the 2017 tax cuts along with making cuts to federal spending. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) publicly announced that they have agreed in principle to make a minimum of $1.5 trillion in cuts over ten years to offset the costs of the tax cut extension.
The respective chambers will now begin work in committee to look for savings. Congress is currently in recess with members returning home for the Easter holiday. Look for an updated action alert later this month requesting members to protect programs like Medicaid and SNAP that benefit lower-income American families during the debate about cuts.
Missouri Senate Committee Completes Mark-Up of State Budget Bills
The Missouri Senate Appropriations Committee this week completed its mark-up of the state budget, adding Senate priorities and removing priorities of the House and the Governor’s office. Chief among the additions in the Senate was around $300 million to fully fund the education foundation formula, replacing funding cuts to the formula proposed by Governor Kehoe. This appropriation funds public schools as mandated by the Missouri Constitution. Soon after his inauguration, Governor Kehoe appointed a committee to revise the public school foundation formula, which funds schools based upon population, geography, and other factors and has been in use for decades. The Governor also wanted $50 million in state general revenue to go to private schools through the state’s education scholarship program. The Senate Appropriations committee did not agree and removed that appropriation. The Senate as a whole must now approve the Senate version of the bills on the floor before the House and Senate Budget committee members meet to reconcile the differences. It is these differences in budget and other bills that often result in damaged relationships that cause delays and other difficulties in the final weeks of session. Stay tuned.
Have a happy Triduum!
Deacon Tyler
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