GOP Challenges House Democrats To Release Omnibus Details

GOP Challenges House Democrats To Release Omnibus Details

By Paul M. Krawzak and David Clarke, CQ Staff

FEBRUARY 3, 2009

House Republican leaders on Tuesday called for public release of the proposed omnibus legislation that would encompass the nine remaining spending bills for fiscal 2009.
 
In a news conference, Mike Pence, R-Ind., and Robert B. Aderholt, R-Ala., called on Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Appropriations Committee Chairman David R. Obey, D-Wis., to post the legislation online for public review.
 
“We are urging the Democratic leadership and Chairman Obey to release that bill to the public,” said Pence, chairman of the House Republican Conference. “This would be an opportunity for even greater public scrutiny,” he said.
 
Less than an hour earlier, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., told reporters the House is unlikely to consider the omnibus until later in the month, after the Presidents Day recess.
 
The House had tentatively scheduled consideration of the omnibus to begin Wednesday, but Democratic leaders pulled back the bill, with the explanation that it might interfere with passing the economic recovery package (HR 1) before Presidents Day.
 
Pence and Aderholt said they have not seen a draft of the omnibus.
 
Though he has served as ranking Republican on the legislative branch appropriations subcommittee, Aderholt said he has not been given any indication of when he will get to see a copy of the plan.
 
Late last year, Congress cleared a stop-gap spending bill (PL 110-329) designed to keep the government operating at 2008 spending level through March 6.
 
Congress had cleared the Defense, Homeland Security and Military Construction-VA spending bills for fiscal 2009 in December. The remaining nine government spending bills total about $410 billion.

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