House Unlikely To Override Veto Of Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Bill

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 16 Nov 2007 - 7:00 PDT

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The House in a vote on Thursday likely will not have the two-thirds majority required to override a presidential veto of a $606 billion fiscal year 2008 Labor-HHS-Education (HR 3043) appropriations bill, CQ Today reports. President Bush said that he vetoed the Labor-HHS-Education bill, which includes $150.7 billion in discretionary spending, because the legislation exceeds his request for discretionary spending by $9.8 billion.

According to CQ Today, the "rhetoric and maneuvering on the Labor-HHS-Education bill is indicative of an appropriations process that has been ensnared by political infighting," and, as "long as Republicans continue to support Bush's vetoes or threats of vetoes on ... spending bills, congressional Democrats do not have much leverage" (Clarke, CQ Today, 11/14).

However, CongressDaily reports that some "senior Republicans are beginning to admit there will need to be an eventual compromise" on the Labor-HHS-Education bill. Senate Budget Committee ranking member Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) said, "Clearly, the president's number on Labor-HHS is too low, and their number is too high." He added, "People of good intentions and substance should sit down in a room and work it out. And so far we've seen no movement in that direction, and it doesn't appear we're setting up to accomplish that even in December" (Cohn, CongressDaily, 11/15).

"One possible outcome is a stalemate for the remainder of Mr. Bush's 14 months in office, with the government operating on autopilot under a series of continuing resolutions" that fund most Cabinet departments and federal agencies at current levels. White House Office of Management and Budget Director Jim Nussle on Wednesday said that he does not have "serious concern" about a shutdown of the federal government (McKinnon, Wall Street Journal, 11/15).

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