Senate clears key hurdles on stalled spending measure with flurry of amendments

Senators voted and approved dozens of amendments before the final passage of a nearly $280 billion bill that would fund the departments of Agriculture, Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, the Food and Drug Administration, and military construction on Wednesday.

Over two dozen amendments were bundled together and approved in groups on Wednesday morning. From providing funding for the Urban Agriculture and Innovative Program to initiatives to expand access to mammography initiatives and equipment for female veterans to providing funding for invasive catfish control, the amendments approved via voice vote were not controversial.

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Later in the afternoon on Wednesday, senators voted on stand-alone amendments. Lawmakers voted 59-38 in favor of an amendment offered by Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) to ban DOT from using federal funding to enforce mask mandates in the larger spending bill. The provision aims to prevent federal mask mandates on all modes of transportation through fiscal 2024, with nearly a dozen Democrats voting with Republicans in favor of it.

“This is a massive victory for personal freedom in this country,” Vance said in a statement following the vote. “We saw countless abuses of authority throughout the COVID pandemic, and the American people were justifiably enraged by unscientific mask mandates. Today, the United States Senate took an emphatic step toward common sense and individual liberty. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished here and look forward to continuing the fight.”

Senators ultimately adopted an amendment 53-45 from Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) that aims to restore gun rights to military veterans with a financial professional appointed to manage their VA benefits. Currently, the VA must notify the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System if this happens. Some Democrats had previously expressed concern that the legislation could contribute to veteran suicides.

“Every veteran who bravely serves our country has earned VA benefits, and it’s wrong for the government to punish veterans who get a helping hand to manage those benefits,” Kennedy said in a statement provided to the Washington Examiner. “Veterans who sacrificed to defend our Constitution shouldn’t see their own rights rest on the judgment of unelected bureaucrats—but right now, they do.”

All Republican senators supported the measure, plus Sens. Angus King (I-ME), Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Jon Tester (D-MT) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV).

Senators rejected an amendment offered by Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) that resembles a bill he introduced earlier this year that intends to prevent government shutdowns. Lawmakers voted 56-42 against the measure that required 60 votes. If passed, it would have triggered a continuing resolution that would maintain federal spending at current levels, and that would institute mandates that limit official travel and congressional recesses until the funding process is finished.

An amendment from Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) that would block pending regulations that would impose strict new energy standards on new homes that are financed with HUD was not passed, with senators voting 47-51.

“Housing affordability is at a 40-year low and the Biden Administration’s new rules will cost Americans tens of thousands of dollars, especially at today’s interest rates,” Rubio said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Senators are finally taking up the minibus after it stalled before the October recess as Senate leadership turned toward the more immediate need to avert a government shutdown by passing a temporary spending bill that will fund the government through Nov. 17. Once the amendment process is complete, the bill would be the first fiscal 2024 appropriations legislation to be considered by the full Senate. The House has passed four appropriations bills.

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Top Senate appropriators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Susan Collins (R-ME) are working to pass the raft of bills, including nine other fiscal 2024 funding bills, to influence the process as the upper chamber is likely to grapple with a broader funding standoff with House Republicans.

Congress is facing another government shutdown deadline of Nov. 17, and talks are already underway surrounding the need for another continuing resolution to extend current funding levels to buy more time for negotiations.