Lowey to Price: Budget resolution must adhere to agreed-upon spending levels

Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY), Ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, today urged Budget Committee Chairman Tom Price (R-GA) to respect the 2015 bipartisan budget agreement by adhering to discretionary spending levels enacted into law. 

Full letter follows:

January 19, 2016

Chairman Tom Price
U.S. House of Representatives
Committee on the Budget
207 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Chairman Price:

As you are aware, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 raised discretionary spending levels in Fiscal Years 2016 and 2017 above austerity-level sequestration caps established in the Budget Control Act of 2011, with a variety of offsets to mandatory programs.

This budget agreement paved the way for negotiations and enactment of a responsible FY2016 Omnibus Appropriations Act that invested more in initiatives that help our families and economy.   The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 established discretionary spending caps of roughly $551 billion for defense priorities and $518.5 billion for non-defense priorities in Fiscal Year 2017, which is $30 billion higher than levels established in the Budget Control Act of 2011, plus additional resources for Overseas Contingency Operations.

Unfortunately, extremely conservative elements of the House Republican conference want the 2017 budget resolution to reduce discretionary resources.  Disturbingly, it has even been reported that you personally are “pushing to slash already agreed-upon spending levels.”[i]

Although you and the majority of the House Republican Conference did not support the agreement, I urge you to resist efforts to renege on this agreement with a budget resolution that reduces discretionary spending to a level that again diminishes our ability to sustain our economic recovery and give American families opportunities to thrive. Thwarting our ability to amply support our defense and non-defense priorities could thrust Congress and the President headlong into another standoff and potentially another government shutdown. 

We have been down this road, and it would be exceedingly irresponsible to do so again.

Budget resolutions do not carry the force of law.  However, an FY17 budget resolution that reneges on enacted discretionary spending levels would send a clear and unmistakable signal that the Republican majority continues to support confrontation and brinkmanship, rather than regular order, in our budget and appropriations process.  Further, it could make Appropriations bills subject to a point of order on the House floor if they appropriate to levels established in law that are above the levels in Majority’s budget resolution.

As you are aware, Speaker Ryan has committed to considering each of the 12 FY2017 Appropriations bills on the House floor by October 1st.  Beginning the budget and appropriations process by breaking the agreement reached in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 would start the process on an extremely sour note.

Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to working responsibly to restore regular order and predictability to our budget and appropriations process.

Sincerely,

Nita M. Lowey
Ranking Member
U.S. House of Representatives
Committee on Appropriations