Thursday: Looking for new spending resolution

But while the House can take these steps on process, substance is another matter — the GOP must find a way to either attract some of the 48 Republicans who opposed the first continuing resolution, attract far more Democrats, or get a little of both.

One possible way around the impasse is to give Democrats the disaster funding level they want — about $7.9 billion in money to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), more than double the $3.65 billion the GOP offered yesterday — by making a small cut across the board to all other programs in the bill. This idea could be sold to Republicans because FEMA funds would still be “paid for.”

But as of early Thursday morning, Republicans had not revealed any proposals.

{mosads}The House meets at 10 a.m. for speeches and at noon for legislative work. In addition to possible work on the continuing resolution, the House is also expected to start work on H.R. 2401, the Transparency in Regulatory Analysis of Impacts on the Nation (TRAIN) Act, which would require an accounting of the the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulatory impact on the economy.

The Senate meets at 9:30 a.m. to continue work on H.R. 2832, a bill renewing the Generalized System of Preferences. Up to five amendment votes are planned on this bill.

Senate Democrats are hoping to use the bill as a vehicle to renew the Trade Adjustment Assistance program, and have said adding that program to the bill would improve the chances of passing pending free-trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea.