Omnibus conference set to convene

The House-Senate conference on the year-end omnibus spending package has been scheduled to convene on Thursday.

The pro-forma meeting is technically about resolving differences on the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs spending bill.

That bill is on track however to become the vehicle for a $900 billion, nine-bill omnibus spending package.

The open meeting will not likely feature any actual negotiations, which are going on behind the scenes. The goal is to release a bill by Dec. 12.

The Senate Democratic conferees are Appropriations Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) and Sens. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.), , Mary Landrieu (D-La.), Patty Murray (D-Wash), Jack Reed (D-RI), Ben Nelson (D-Ne.), Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), Jon Tester (D-Mont) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.)

The Senate Republican conferees are ranking member Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and Sens. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas),  Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska),  Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Dan Coats (R-Ind.).
 
The House Republican conferees are Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) and Reps. Bill Young (R-Fla.), Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.), Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N,J.), Robert Aderholt (R-Ala), Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.), Kay Granger (R-Texas), Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), John Culberson (R-Texas), Ander Crenshaw (R-Fla.), Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.), and John Carter (R-Texas).

The Democrats are ranking member Norm Dicks (D-Wash.), and Reps. Peter Visclosky (D-Ind.), Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), Jose Serrano (D-N.Y.), Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), James Moran (D-Va.), David Price (D-N.C.) and Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.)

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