Reconciliation

In the wee hours of this morning, after an 18-hour vote-a-rama, the Senate passed the reconciliation bill.  The vote was 52-47 with Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, the sole Republican to join all Democrats in opposition. The bill provides around $70 billion for ICE and border protection for the remainder of the President’s term.

The most closely watched amendment was sponsored by Senator Cassidy (R-LA) that would have restricted payouts from the $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund only to law enforcement officers who died or suffered from the January 6 attack on the Capitol or their families, and it would have appropriated $100 million to the fund for that effort, offset by a cut to ICE. The floor action slowed for hours as Senator Cassidy held talks with the parliamentarian in hopes of working out language that would allow the amendment to be adopted by just 51 votes. But in the end, the amendment was deemed to require 60 votes. The vote was 52-47 in favor on the amendment, falling eight votes shy of the 60 required. Six Republicans joined all Democrats in support of the amendment.

The resolution now moves to the House for final action, where the margins for passage are very tight.

FY2027 Appropriations

This morning the House subcommittee is marking up the FY’27 LHHS bill. The draft bill proposes $201.8 billion, a decrease of $19.1 billion below last year. The bill would provide a $100 million increase for the NIH while eliminating funding for several programs, including Title X family planning grants and certain research initiatives related to maternal health, HIV/AIDS, gun violence, and climate. The bill would also eliminate the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The full committee is scheduled for June 9, however, House appropriations Chair Cole (R-OK) indicated that full committee markups for the Defense and Labor-HHS could be postponed later this month.

The text of the bill is here; the Democratic summary is here; and a Republican summary here. The bill report is not yet available—it is typically made available prior to the full committee markup (which is currently scheduled for next Tuesday).