THE DAILY WHIP: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2017

H.Res. 500– Rule providing for consideration of H.R. 3354 – “Make America Secure and Prosperous Appropriations Act, 2018” (Rep. Frelinghuysen – Appropriations) (One hour of debate).  The Rules committee has recommended a structured Rule that provides for two hours of general debate, equally divided between the Chair and Ranking Member of the Committee on Appropriations.  The Rule provides for consideration of 118 amendments, each debatable for 10 minutes, equally controlled by the proponent and opponent of the amendment.  The Rule also provides up to 20 pro forma amendments for the purpose of debate offered by the Chair and Ranking Member or their designee.

The Rule provides the Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations or his designee authority to offer amendments en bloc, consisting of amendments not previously considered. All en bloc amendments are debatable for 20 minutes equally divided between the Chair and Ranking Member of the Committee on Appropriations or their designees. 

The Rule allows for Suspension Authority through September 9, 2017. 

The Rule Waives clause 6(a) of rule XIII, the requirement of a two-thirds vote to consider a Rule on the same day it is reported from the Rules Committee, through September 9, 2017.   

The Rule also provides that an amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of H.R. 3219 – “Make America Secure Appropriations Act of 2018,” be considered as adopted and the bill, as amended shall be considered as read upon passage of H.R. 3354.  H.R. 3219 was passed by the House on July 27, 2017.  That vote can be found here.

A second Rule providing for additional amendments to H.R. 3354 is expected to be considered on the Floor tomorrow.  Members are urged to VOTE NO.

Begin Consideration of H.R. 3354– “Make America Secure and Prosperous Appropriations Act, 2018” (Rep. Frelinghuysen – Appropriations) (Two hours of debate).  Before the August district work period, the House passed a package of four regular appropriations bills for FY 2018 as part of a “security minibus.”  That package included the Defense, Legislative Branch, Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, and Energy and Water Development bills.  In addition to multiple poison pill riders, it also contained a fifth division with $1.6 billion in taxpayer funding for construction of President Trump’s border wall.

H.R. 3354 packages together the eight remaining regular appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2018 in discrete divisions.  They are: Interior & Environment; Agriculture; Commerce, Justice, Science; Financial Services; Homeland Security; Labor, Health and Human Services, Education; State and Foreign Operations; and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development.  A summary of the eight divisions can be found here.  Upon passage, these will be coupled with the security minibus’s five divisions and sent to the Senate as one complete Omnibus Appropriations bill.

H.R. 3354 not only constitutes an inadequate investment in both the domestic and international activities of government, but also a skewed reprioritization laid out within each of its eight divisions that would have devastating impacts throughout the economy.  It is clear that House Republicans would rather waste valuable time on partisan legislation that does not stand a chance of actually being signed into law instead of working with Democrats on responsible solutions that will create jobs and grow the economy. 

Further, House Republicans are breaking their own promises of following regular order and an open legislative process by considering this package under structured rules that forego the open appropriations process, by acting on these bills before passing a budget resolution to provide topline funding guidance, and by packaging multiple unrelated issues into a single vehicle. Members are urged to VOTE NO.

A full list of the 118 amendments made in order in the first Rule can be found HERE.

Suspensions (2 bills)

1. H.Res. _ – Providing for the concurrence by the House in the Senate Amendments to H.R. 601, with an amendment. [Amendment consists of the text of H.R. 3672 – Making Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief].  (Rep. Frelinghuysen – Appropriations).  This legislation provides $7.9 billion in emergency supplemental for FY 2017 funding through September 30, 2017 in response to the damage caused by Hurricane Harvey.  $7.4 billion is allocated to shore-up the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Disaster Relief Fund and nearly $500 million will go to the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) disaster loan program to assist small businesses and homeowners.  Additional funding is expected to be brought to the Floor in the coming weeks.
2. H.R. 3388 – SELF DRIVE Act (Rep. Latta – Energy and Commerce)

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK
The GOP Leadership has announced the following schedule for Thursday, September 7: The House will meet at 12:00 p.m. for legislative business.  The House is expected to continue consideration of H.R. 3354 – “Make America Secure and Prosperous Appropriations Act, 2018” (Rep. Frelinghuysen – Appropriations) (Subject to a Rule).