House Approves Omnibus Package Along Fractured Lines
Brinkmanship continued in the advancement of the omnibus government funding package, the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act (HR-83). The House passed the bicameral compromise Thursday 219-206. The vote wasn't along party lines, with 162 Republicans and 57 Democrats backing…
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the bill and 67 Republicans and 139 Democrats opposing it. The White House reluctantly backed the package, while House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., opposed it. Congress had also advanced and the White House signed a short-term funding extension (HR-Res. 130) to keep the government funded through Saturday, since government funding ran out Thursday. The omnibus package includes several telecom riders, extending the Internet Tax Freedom Act by one year, temporarily forbidding NTIA from using its funds for the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority transition and forcing the FCC to clarify the waiver process on broadcaster joint sales agreements, in addition to funding agencies including the FCC and FTC (see 1412100041). It would fund the FCC at $340 million in FY2015, the same amount as the previous year and less than requested by several million. “I hope we can complete work on this bill as early as later today, but that depends on everyone’s cooperation,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said on the Senate floor Friday. Democratic and Republican senators criticized the package for reasons unrelated to telecom. The Senate hadn't approved the package by our deadline. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters at the Capitol Friday that he still expects the funding battles to resolve in the next day or so and that Congress will not be in session this week.