House Budget Vote Delayed

Food bankers can exhale a sigh of relief, albeit it briefly. It appears Republican House leadership are waiting until after August recess to make a vote on the House Budget Resolution that includes major cuts to SNAP and other safety-net programs. A recent Politico article reports:

Republican Study Committee Chairman Mark Walker says he has struck a deal with House Speaker Paul Ryan to revive the fiscal blueprint, in exchange for dropping demands for a full GOP omnibus this week…

Ryan committed Tuesday to allowing a vote on the budget the first week the House returns from August recess, according to a senior congressional aide.

In return, Walker said he would stand down on his push for the House to take up a trillion-dollar fiscal 2018 omnibus this week, rather than the current plan to advance a four-bill package…

Walker agreed to withdraw his “minibus” amendment, which would have forced a vote on all 12 spending bills.

House Budget Chairman Diane Black has been stepping up the pressure to get a floor vote in the final days before the lengthy summer break.

Black made dozens of calls over the weekend to round up support and spoke up during Tuesday’s conference meeting. She has personally met with key holdoutsthis week, including GOP centrists in the House Tuesday Group, according to a Republican aide.

All 22 Republican members of the House Budget Committee voted to approve the long-delayed budget resolution last week.