Senate Democrats set up showdown with House GOP over federal spending

The Senate advanced its 2024 federal spending plan Thursday, setting up a standoff with the Republican-led House that could lead to a partial government shutdown later this year.

The Senate Appropriations Committee voted along party lines to set spending levels for the 12 bills that fund the federal government.

The Democrat-led panel stuck to a $1.59 trillion cap set in a bipartisan deal to increase the nation’s borrowing limit, a measure President Biden signed earlier this month.

Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray, Washington Democrat, called the spending limits “really challenging,” and warned she won’t go any lower than the caps, which were set by Mr. Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy, California Republican.

Mrs. Murray said she’ll reject “unserious bills” that House Republicans are advancing to cut spending below the caps by an additional $130 billion.

“I’m going to ensure we adhere to the deal that President Biden and Speaker McCarthy negotiated, and Congress passed just a few weeks ago,” Mrs. Murray said.

Across the Capitol, House Republicans, who control the majority, aren’t budging on their lower spending levels.

The fiscal year ends Sept. 30 and if 2024 spending bills are not signed into law by then, Congress will likely pass stopgap measures.

Under the debt limit deal, if Congress fails to reach a bipartisan deal on spending by January 2024, all non-mandatory spending will be cut by 1%.

“We simply cannot allow those indiscriminate cuts to be triggered,” said Sen. Susan M. Collins, top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Under the federal spending limits established in the debt ceiling deal, domestic spending is capped at $704 billion and defense spending is set at $886 billion.

Ms. Collins, of Maine, said the $823 billion allocated for defense spending by the Democrat-led Senate is “inadequate” and “fails to meet the security challenges facing our nation.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Republican, said the defense spending set by Democrats would “sink eight ships” and park countless fighter planes.

Homeland Security is also underfunded by Senate Democrats, Republicans said. Democrats set Homeland Security Department spending at $56.9 billion — a 6% cut from 2023 levels. Republicans said the money falls short of helping the U.S. Border Patrol, which is expected to encounter another 2.2 million immigrants crossing the southern border illegally this fiscal year.

“Despite this ongoing calamity, this bill would reduce funding for the Department of Homeland Security, limiting our ability to have sufficient personnel and technology on the southern border,” Ms. Collins said. 

The Senate has struggled to pass spending bills for years due to partisan differences and the filibuster rule, which requires some Republican support to advance most legislation.

On Thursday, all Republicans voted against the spending levels set by Democrats.

Even if the Senate manages to negotiate a spending deal, the bigger fight may lie with the House, where a faction of conservative Republicans is pushing Mr. McCarthy to remain wedded to spending levels that are far lower than those under negotiation in the Senate.

“I’m convinced that our good logic on this side will convince them they need to come in with lower numbers,” said Rep. Ken Buck, Colorado Republican and member of the conservative Freedom Caucus.

Mrs. Murray warned against letting the spending fight drag on for months or even into next year.

“And as we all know, chaos only helps those who want to see our government shut down, including our adversaries, like the governments of Russia and China, who are rooting for Congress to descend into chaos,” she said.