House Democrats on Tuesday introduced a plan to raise spending caps by $51 billion, a counter to President Trump’s plan to cut $125 billion from the caps and sneak $96 billion into a special defense spending account.
House Budget Committee Chairman John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) introduced legislation that would increase the nondefense cap to $631 billion in 2020, a $34 billion increase, and the defense cap to $664 billion, a $17 billion increase. In 2020, the caps would rise to $646 for nondefense and $680 for defense.
“Congress owes the American people a government — and a budget — that works,” Yarmuth said. “By moving this bill forward, we will bring responsible governing back to the budget process, avoid uncertainty and the unrelenting threats of a government shutdown, and meet our obligations to the American people,” he added.
The legislation comes amid intense infighting within the Democratic caucus, which scuttled plans to introduce a budget resolution this week. Despite the fact that the increase in domestic spending doubled relative to nondefense, some progressives in the party objected to further raising defense funds, and were seeking to bring the defense and nondefense parties closer to parity.
Just an hour before the 2 p.m. deadline to release the legislation ahead of a scheduled Wednesday markup, questions remained as to whether Democrats would be able to muster the votes to advance the bill in committee and on the House floor.
The legislation lays down the Democratic position against Trump and congressional Republicans. The GOP-controlled Senate Budget Committee passed a budget resolution last week that would adhere to the caps laid out by law in the 2011 Budget Control Act.
If left in place, the 2020 caps of $543 billion for nondefense and $576 billion for defense would mark a 10 percent cut from current spending levels.
The GOP resolution, however, excluded Trump’s proposed $96 billion increase in defense spending for the Overseas Contingency Operations account.