Progressives in the House Democratic caucus are reportedly pressing for more federal spending on domestic issues, threatening to derail a deal that hikes defense spending by $17 billion and nondefense by $34 billion.
After a closed-door caucus meeting Tuesday, Democrats said it was unclear if the deal now has enough floor votes this week to win passage, The Hill reported.
"The whip team right now is not very sure of where we are," Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Ky., chairman of the House Budget Committee, told the news outlet.
Democratic leadership had expected to bring up the bill Tuesday or Wednesday, but opposition from members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus may delay or even end its chances, The Hill reported.
According to The Hill, the Budget Committee’s bill hikes defense and nondefense spending to $664 billion and $631 billion, respectively; progressives want to freeze military funding or further boost spending for nondefense programs.
Three of the 15 progressives on the committee opposed the bill.
"We have to figure out whether we're going to be able to govern or not. And this is the first test of it," Yarmuth told The Hill, adding: "[W]e think these numbers are the ones that position us best with the Senate and the White House."
Progressives are offering several amendments, The Hill reported. For example, one from CPC co-chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., would increase nondefense spending to the same level as defense spending. Another, from Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., would move $10 billion in spending on a veterans program to an off-book account, clearing the way for other programs.
"We do think though that ... we should negotiate in our strongest place. And our strongest place is saying we want more nondefense spending. So that's where many of us are," Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., co-chair of the CPC, told The Hill.
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