Senate Dems plan to move $1 trillion omnibus in December

By Alexander Bolton - 11/28/11 08:32 PM ET


Senate Dems plan to move $1 trillion omnibus in December
By Alexander Bolton - 11/28/11 08:32 PM ET


Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) plans to move a $1 trillion spending bill in December, a strategy that will spark a backlash from Tea Party conservatives.

If conservatives torpedo the omnibus measure, Reid and other Democratic leaders would likely be forced to accept another long stopgap spending measure or risk a government shutdown when funding runs out at midnight Dec. 17.

The federal government has been operating on stopgap spending measures since the fall of last year, and many lawmakers are tired of ceding their oversight authority.

Members of the once-all-powerful Appropriations committees want to pass regular spending bills, allowing them to effect policy changes and tweak federal accounts.


During a conference call with reporters on Monday, Reid said that appropriators have done too much work to default to another yearlong stopgap. There’s not enough time to pass the spending bills individually or in smaller packages known as minibuses.

“We hope to work this process through so we won’t do a CR,â€