Shuffling the Deck Chairs: Congress is back from a much-needed recess and is welcoming a new face at the helm of the Appropriations Committee: Rep. Tom Cole was voted chair of the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, following Rep. Kay Granger's unexpected resignation as chair back in March. This has been a long road to the gavel, and our very own Leslie Belcher is thrilled for her former boss, having been with him at the beginning of this journey as his first Chief of Staff (for both their sakes, we won't say how many years ago).
Chairman Cole has consistently emphasized the importance of moving appropriations bills through regular order, so we can expect to see full markups for each of the twelve bills under his leadership. He has expressed interest in getting all HAC markups completed this summer. Chairman Cole's ascension also means that he is giving up his T-HUD Subcommittee gavel as well as his chairmanship of the Rules Committee. Rep. Steve Womack will leave his post chairing FSGG to lead T-HUD. Rep. Dave Joyce will then take over as chair of FSGG, leaving his chairmanship at Homeland Security to do so. The pieces are still falling into place, but it looks as if Rep. David Valadao will join the elite "cardinals" as Legislative Branch chairman.
The Appropriations leadership changes don't stop in the House. Appropriations Chair Patty Murray announced this week that she will be permanently keeping the Energy and Water Subcommittee gavel she took over on an interim basis from the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema has been tapped to chair the MilCon-VA Subcommittee through the end of this year.
Chair Murray Says What We're All Thinking: After a triumphant (albeit late) ending to FY24, Chair Murray brought us all back to reality this week by warning that FY25 will be even harder than FY24. A contributing factor to these sentiments – other than the election – is the lasting impact of the 2023 debt limit deal, which permits funding caps for FY25 to increase by just one percent for both defense and non-defense funding.
Supplemental Aid: While the House continues to press pause on the supplemental appropriations package for Ukraine, this Tuesday Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene released a Dear Colleague letter explaining her filing of a motion to vacate the chair, citing her dissatisfaction with FY24 appropriations and possible Ukraine aid.
Finally, reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge is expected to cost upwards of $1 billion and President Biden has promised that Maryland will not have to front any of the cost. We expect another supplemental package in the coming months that deals with this damage.
Subcommittee Guidance: House Appropriations Committee guidance for language and programmatic changes is now available here. Guidance for community project funding is expected soon.
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