Seven things to know about the government funding deal

Lawmakers rolled out a deal early Monday morning to fund the government and avert a shutdown at the end of this week.

The $1.1 trillion bill to keep the government open through the end of September follows a one-week stopgap measure Congress was forced to pass last Friday, when negotiators failed to reach a longer-term deal.

Democrats and progressives quickly claimed the funding bill as a win, touting their ability to keep roughly 160 “poison pills” out of the legislation.

Their reaction was a stark contrast to the more muted comments from Republicans and early criticism from conservatives, who are murmuring that leadership should have taken a harder line given the unified GOP government.

“I don’t think I’ll be voting for it. I think there will be a lot of conservatives who have problems with the legislation,” Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) told CNN on Monday.

{mosads}Here are seven things to know about the funding deal.

 

It boosts defense money

The deal will give the Pentagon a roughly $15 billion increase for the rest of the year, handing Republicans and the Trump administration a small win in the spending fight.

The funding bill gives more than $9 billion for “immediate warfighting readiness,” including for missions against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The money is categorized as overseas contingency operations (OCO) funds, which are not subjected to congressional spending limits.

But the increase is unlikely to satisfy the defense hawks who wanted a significant increase in defense money and argue that years of budget caps have undercut the military’s ability to respond to growing threats.

“I’m not particularly happy about it, but it is what it is,” Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) told CNN late last week.

The money included in the omnibus is approximately half of what President Trump requested in a supplemental funding bill earlier this year; that request included $24.9 billion for the base defense budget and $5.1 billion for OCO.

 

There’s no money for Trump’s border wall

The legislation doesn’t give the administration dedicated money for the U.S.-Mexico border wall, even after White House budget chief Mick Mulvaney pushed lawmakers to include the funding and called it the administration’s top priority in funding talks.

Instead, Trump will get roughly $1.5 billion for border security. That includes roughly $722 million for barriers and gates along the border, increased technology and more personnel, and an additional $617 million for immigration enforcement.

It also requires Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly to submit a plan to Congress on improving border security and a timeline for implementation.

The border wall emerged as a key hurdle to finishing the funding deal, with Democrats opposed to including wall money in the fiscal 2017 bill.

Lawmakers are expected to reignite the border fight later this year, when they face another funding deadline at the end of September.

 

A deal’s been reached on healthcare for miners

The bill includes a permanent extension of healthcare for thousands of miners and their families that was set to expire on Friday night without action from Congress.

A group of rust-belt lawmakers have been pushing Congress for months to pass a fix for the healthcare issue after only getting a four-month extension included in last year’s short-term continuing resolution.

Senators in both parties immediately claimed credit on Monday for ensuring the provision was included in the fiscal 2017 legislation.

“The provision I secured in this legislation will protect and permanently extend health care benefits for thousands of retired coal miners and their families,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said in a statement.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) praised the healthcare fix but said he is “more determined than ever” to pass help for related pension benefits.

The spending deal doesn’t include a separate pensions fund that Democrats warn is headed toward insolvency without help from Congress but has drawn skepticism from some GOP lawmakers.

 

New York City will be reimbursed for Trump security

Lawmakers will reimburse New York City for protecting Trump and his family after including only $7 million in December’s end-of-year agreement.

The spending deal will give New York City and other state and local governments a total of approximately $68 million for the president’s security. It includes an extra $20 million tied to Trump’s protection before the inauguration, in addition to the $7 million already authorized by Congress, and roughly $41 million for after he took over the White House.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) praised the provision, saying it was the “right and fair thing to do” and adding that it was “ridiculous” to expect New York and other local governments to cover the cost.

James O’Neill, the New York City police commissioner, said earlier this year that the city had spent $24 million on protection for Trump and his family between the election and the inauguration.

He estimated the New York Police Department spends up to $308,000 per day on security when Trump is in New York, where his flagship Trump Tower is located.  

Officials in Florida, where Trump frequently visits his Mar-A-Lago resort, have also asked for federal help.

 

It won’t defund Planned Parenthood

The funding bill bypasses a major priority of the administration and Republican lawmakers: defunding Planned Parenthood.

GOP leadership signaled early on that they were preparing to sidestep using the spending bill to cut off federal funding for the women’s health clinic, acknowledging the move would likely spark a government shutdown.

In addition to overwhelming opposition from Democrats, including the provision would have likely drawn pushback from moderate Republicans, including Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine).

But the dodge has drawn frustration from conservatives, whose votes Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) will need if he doesn’t want to have to appeal to Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Democrats.

Asked how he felt about the spending deal, Jordan pointed to the health organization as a problem area.

“I mean, look, money goes to Planned Parenthood as you said. … I think you’re going to see a lot of conservatives be against this plan this week,” the Ohio Republican told CNN.

 

The IRS survives the GOP’s wrath

The IRS faces a mixed bag from the funding deal.

The Trump administration sent mixed signals over the tax agency’s budget. While Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin backed increased funding, the president’s budget suggested a 4 percent cut for the next fiscal year.

Instead, the funding bill freezes the financial agency’s budget at last year’s levels, rejecting the Obama administration’s proposal to increase funding by about $1 billion.

Republicans have long disliked the IRS, and Ryan touted the IRS provisions as a win, arguing that it “reforms” the agency.

The bill includes more than $11 billion for the IRS, with roughly $290 million tied to “measurable improvements” on customer service, identity protection and cybersecurity.

It also blocks the agency from finalizing any rules tied to determining an organization’s tax-exempt status.

 

It quadruples money for the opioid crisis

The spending bill more than quintuples the money for the Department of Health and Human Services’ effort to fight opioid and prescription drug addiction, from roughly $150 million to more than $800 million.

The money will be divided between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration and the Health Resources and Services Administration.

Lawmakers passed the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act in mid-2016 that authorized — but did not include — funding to combat prescription opioid abuse.

Lawmakers in both parties praised the inclusion of the money in Monday’s omnibus deal.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) called the provision an example of when “aggressive negotiations over the budget yield something good.”

In addition to the HHS budget, the omnibus deal includes a funding increase for the Drug Enforcement Agency and more money for the Department of Veterans Affairs’ opioid and substance abuse program.