FY2014 Budget Clears House, Senate

This week, the House and Senate approved separate resolutions, H. Con. Res. 25 and S. Con. Res. 8, respectively, to establish a budget for FY2014.

House

On March 21, the House approved, 221-207, H. Con. Res. 25, which would establish a budget for FY2014. The Budget Committee passed the measure on March 13 (see The Source, 3/15/13). The budget resolution assumes the repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148) and would reinstitute work requirements for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, eliminate the Social Security Block Grant Program, and cut funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

During consideration of H. Con. Res. 25, the House defeated the following substitute measures:

• A substitute budget by Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-SC) to insert the text of the Senate budget resolution, 154-261;
• A substitute budget by Rep. Rob Woodall (R-GA), on behalf of the Republican Study Committee, 104-132
• A substitute budget by Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), on behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus, 105-305;
• A substitute budget by Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), on behalf of the Progressive Caucus, 84-327; and
• A substitute budget by Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), on behalf of the Democratic Caucus, 165-253.

Senate

On March 23, the Senate approved, 50-49, S. Con. Res. 8, its version of the FY2014 budget resolution. The Senate Budget Committee approved the measure on March 14 (see The Source, 3/15/13). The resolution includes funding for the recently enacted Violence Against Women Act (P.L. 113-4), supports equal pay legislation, and protects funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) from cuts imposed by sequestration.

During consideration of the resolution, the Senate adopted the following amendments:

• An amendment by Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) to include support for legislation in support of the Paycheck Fairness Act (S. 84/H.R. 377), by voice vote; and
• An amendment by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), to create a deficit-neutral reserve fund to protect women’s access to health care, including family planning and birth control, 56-43.

The Senate rejected the following amendments:

• An amendment by Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) to delay implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) until the national unemployment rate falls below 5.5 percent, 45-54;
• An amendment by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) to repeal the PPACA, 45-54;
• An amendment by Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) to create a deficit-neutral reserve fund to protect women’s access to health care in a manner consistent with protecting rights of conscience, 44-55; and
• An amendment by Budget Committee Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) to incorporate the House-passed version of the FY2014 budget, H. Con. Res. 25, 40-59.