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Shelby signals GOP can accept Biden's $1.5T with more for defense

Senate Republicans negotiating spending levels for 2021 say they are willing to accept President BidenJoe BidenChinese apps could face subpoenas, bans under Biden executive order: report OVERNIGHT ENERGY:  EPA announces new clean air advisors after firing Trump appointees |  Senate confirms Biden pick for No. 2 role at Interior | Watchdog: Bureau of Land Management saw messaging failures, understaffing during pandemic Poll: Majority back blanket student loan forgiveness MORE’s $1.5 trillion price tag for discretionary spending provided that more of those funds are allocated toward defense spending.

“My goal is to get more money for defense. We live in a tough world,” Sen. Richard ShelbyRichard Craig ShelbyOn The Money: Sanders: Democrats considering trillion spending package | Weekly jobless claims rise for first time since April Shelby signals GOP can accept Biden’s .5T with more for defense Senate confirms Biden pick for No. 2 role at Interior MORE (Ala.), the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, told The Hill. 

“The allocations will shift around, but at the end of the day, there’s going to be a struggle for national security.”

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Asked if the negotiation was limited to the allocation, rather than attempting to bring down the $1.5 trillion overall spending figure, Shelby replied, “I think that’s fair.”

Biden’s budget proposal called for a steep, 16 percent increase in nondefense spending — a category that covers health, education, transportation, foreign affairs, the justice system, energy and other nondefense government priorities — but only a nominal 1.7 percent increase to defense spending.

Shelby has referred to the nominal increase as a budget cut, and said it would jeopardize national security.

The ongoing discussions with Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Patrick LeahyPatrick Joseph LeahyShelby signals GOP can accept Biden’s .5T with more for defense Bipartisan lawmakers want Biden to take tougher action on Nicaragua Biden budget expands government’s role in economy MORE (D-Vt.), however, have made progress, with Shelby looking to mark up two or three of the 12 annual appropriations bills in subcommittees before the August recess.

“We both want to get things done,” Leahy said of the most recent discussions, which took place Wednesday evening and Thursday afternoon, adding that each man was contending with opposition from within his own party ranks.

“But we both agree on one thing: nobody benefits from a continuing resolution,” he added, saying he hoped they would strike a deal before August.

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If Congress does not pass a continuing resolution — a stopgap measure — or approve the spending bills by the start of the new fiscal year on Oct. 1, the government will face a shutdown.

In the House, Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauroRosa DeLauroShelby signals GOP can accept Biden’s .5T with more for defense COVID-19 long-haulers press Congress for paid family leave Democrats seek staffer salary boost to compete with K Street MORE (D-Conn.) has set a schedule for marking up all 12 bills in June and July, concluding on July 16. Passing the bills on the House floor could leak into September.

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DeLauro said those bills would largely conform to the allocations Biden, whom she referred to as “the guy,” proposed in his budget.

“We’re moving forward with the markups, with where we are, just focused on the guy, the president’s budget, and we’re moving forward,” she said. 

“We’ll see where the Senate comes out,” she added, saying actions would be over the course of several months.

“We have to wait for the Senate to move.”

While the consensus appears to be that a continuing resolution of some kind will be required to keep at least parts of the government open into the 2022 fiscal year, the GOP’s acceptance of the overall budget number paves the way for a simpler negotiation between the House and Senate on the final bills down the line.

In previous years, the House’s partisan bills were set to completely different spending levels than those in the Senate, adding to the mayhem.

The acquiescence to a significant increase in discretionary spending is the latest sign that the politics around deficits and spending have changed.

Under President TrumpDonald TrumpChinese apps could face subpoenas, bans under Biden executive order: report Kim says North Korea needs to be ‘prepared’ for ‘confrontation’ with US Ex-Colorado GOP chair accused of stealing more than 0K from pro-Trump PAC MORE, Republicans stomached a boost in nondefense spending in order to win Democratic support for a significant increase on the defense side of the ledger.

Amid ongoing discussions over multitrillion-dollar bills on infrastructure and family support, as well as trillions already spent on COVID-19 relief, the $120 billion increase in spending could easily get lost.

But that increase would add over a trillion to deficits over a decade without increases in revenues.

The nation’s debt, as a share of annual economic production, is on track to break its all-time record in the coming decade.

This story was updated at 4:15 p.m.