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House Ahead Of Senate On Spending Bills

By: Matt Laslo // July 15, 2012
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The U.S. Capitol under the clouds during a sunset in Washington, D.C.
AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana
The U.S. Capitol under the clouds during a sunset in Washington, D.C.

The U.S. House has passed half of the nation's spending bills so far this year, but the Senate, under Majority Leader Harry Reid, hasn't even acted on one. Reid blames his chamber's inaction on House Republicans who want to enact deeper cuts than those outlined in a compromise reached last year.

So with the Senate not taking them up, why is the House slugging through the process? Hal Rogers, Chairman of the House spending committee, says it's important for his party to act even if the Senate doesn't.

"Well its democracy, we wanted an open rule so that everyone had a chance to have their say on these bills," he says. "We have had several hundred amendments that we've dealt with, but I'm very pleased with our progress."

This week, the House will be working on the bill to fund the State Department, but it's expected to die in the Senate. In the end, both parties will probably agree to keep the government's spending at the same levels as the previous year.

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