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Appropriations
Two Appropriations Bills Expected to be Passed Before the Fourth of July Recess
Congress returned this week for a four-week period in which Democratic leaders hope for quick progress in writing the twelve regular appropriations bills. House and Senate leaders say they are optimistic that Congress can pass all twelve appropriations bills before the end of the fiscal year, avoiding the need for an omnibus spending bill for the first time since 2005.
The House’s goal is to pass all twelve bills before leaving for the August recess. The Senate acts after the House on spending bills. According to Senate Staff, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (HI) has set a goal of passage for all the spending bills by September 30, the end of the 2009 fiscal year.
On June 4, the House Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations Subcommittee held the first markup of the FY 2010 Appropriations bills, approving the $64.4 billion spending measure. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (NV) announced this week that he wants to pass two appropriations bills – the Legislative Branch and Homeland Security – before breaking for the Fourth of July recess. Reid pledged to consider more during the five-week July work period and assured Monday and Friday votes in July in order to complete the work by the August recess.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer Predicts Push for Pay/Go Legislation
According to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (MD), President Obama is expected to send Congress a statutory pay/go proposal next week. Obama committed to making pay/go a law in order to win support for his FY 2010 Budget from the Blue Dog Coalition.
Pay/go, a top Blue Dog priority, requires that Congress offset tax cuts or increases in mandatory spending. Currently, pay/go rules are in place in both the House and Senate, but are often waived. House Democratic leaders support statutory pay/go legislation, but the issue hasn’t been well received in the Senate.
Secretary Arne Duncan Addresses Congress on the Department of Education’s FY 2010 Budget Request
On Wednesday, June 3, Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan addressed Congress on the Department of Education’s FY 2010 budget request. He discussed the Obama Administration’s agenda for the Department of Education and emphasized the need to improve college access, readiness and affordability.
On policy goals for higher education, Duncan touched on the proposal to increase the maximum Pell award from $4,731 to $5,350 and move the program from the discretionary spending category to a mandatory appropriated entitlement. He also addressed the proposal to ensure that the maximum Pell Grant award grows at a rate higher than inflation so that it keeps up with rising college costs.
Department of Labor
Job Losses Slow but Unemployment Rises
The unemployment rate increased to 9.4 percent up from 8.9 percent in April - the highest percentage since July 1983 - according to numbers released today from the Department of Labor. The unemployment rate jumped to a 25-year high in May, but the rate of job losses slowed with 345,000 jobs lost last month, down from 504,000 in April. This was the fewest jobs lost in a month since last September.
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said this could mean we are headed for economic recovery.
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