Vote on new one-week spending bill possible in House this week

House Republicans on Monday night were prepping a new one-week fiscal 2011 spending bill, H.R. 1363, for passage this week in the event that Republicans and Democrats are unable to come to a final agreement on a full-term spending bill. The bill would cut $12 billion from current spending levels, much more than the usual $2 billion in cuts per week that Republicans have sought in the last two continuing resolutions.

As of Tuesday morning, the House Rules Committee said the chamber "may" consider this bill, and no meeting had been announced to approve a rule for the bill. Introducing the bill Monday night will allow the House to consider it as early as Wednesday, given the Republicans' practice of making bills public for three calendar days before bringing them up for a vote.

According to a summary of the bill, the continuing resolution funds the Defense Department for the rest of the year, and increases defense funding by 1.5 percent over fiscal 2010 levels.

Other departments would be cut. The departments of Agriculture and Homeland Security would each face reductions of $1.4 billion, and the Department of the Interior would be cut $1.27 billion.

Labor and Health and Human Services programs would be cut by $2.5 billion, and Transportation and HUD programs will be cut by $2 billion.

Some debate on the Republican spending bill could occur at 10 a.m., when the House convenes.

Legislative action in the House begins at noon, when the House takes up a rule for considering H.J.Res. 37, which disapproves of the Federal Communications Commission decision to regulate the Internet. The White House on Monday night said it would veto this resolution if it were to pass the House and Senate.