Steptoe Appropriations Newsletter

The Topline:

Where are the 302(b)s?: Though Congress bought more time to reach a spending deal with the passage of a CR last week, progress towards assigning the subcommittee spending allocations, known as the 302(b) allocations, continues to stall. The holdup remains between Appropriations Chairs Murray and Granger and is primarily tied to funding needed for the Supplemental bill. We are hearing from top Appropriations staff that if 302(b)s aren't finalized next week, they'll have difficulty passing the bills by the new CR deadlines. We don't bet. But, if we did, we'd put our money on getting the 302(b)s by this time next week.

Supplemental aid chaos: Meanwhile, negotiations on the border security/foreign aid deal were thrown into disarray this week after former President Trump made it clear that he opposes the deal – solidifying conservative opposition to the still-to-be-released legislation. Senate Minority Leader McConnell signaled that the bill is won't