Appropriations

The House Appropriations Committee moved its first spending bill Wednesday as the military construction and veterans affairs subpanel passed a $73.3 billion measure.

The appropriations bill is $1.4 billion above the funding level enacted in 2013 and $1.4 billion below President Obama’s 2014 budget request.

The measure provides $9.9 billion for military construction projects and $63.1 billion in discretionary funding to the Department of Veterans Affairs, an increase of $2.1 billion compared to last year’s levels.

Republicans argued the closures were unnecessary because of legislation passed last month that provided funding flexibility.

Republicans will wait until after the Memorial Day recess to begin the process of passing annual appropriations bills for fiscal 2014.

"The majority leader announced we'll begin the process of funding our government in June through an open appropriation," Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) said on the House floor Thursday.

The legislation allows government to borrow money to fulfill bondholders and Social Security payments. 

The House will turn this week to a bill that Republicans say would prevent the United States from defaulting on its debts.

The Full Faith and Credit Act is a preemptive attempt by Republicans to defuse the warnings from the White House and Democrats about holding the debt ceiling “hostage” in fiscal negotiations. The bill would give the Treasury Department the ability to borrow above the limit to cover bond and Social Security payments.

While the Treasury insists it cannot prioritize payments and avoid a default if its borrowing capacity is reached, Republicans disagree, and say their bill should assure markets that the country will always pay its debts.

Lawmakers will likely have to increase the debt ceiling sometime in the late summer or early fall.

Thirty-four percent blame Republicans for the FAA furloughs, with 32 percent blaming the president.

President Obama has not been able to sign the measure passed by Congress last week to end air traffic controller furloughs because of a typo in the bill, according to a report.

ABC News is reporting that a word in the legislation is missing an 's,' delaying Obama's signature on the bill until Tuesday.

Congress hurriedly passed the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) bill last week before they left Washington for a weeklong recess as frequent airline passengers complained about delays the agency attributed to the sequester. 

Legislation allowing the government to re-direct millions of dollars was approved in an overwhelming 361-41 vote.

The passage of the bill, sponsored by Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), capped a day of scrambling.

Reid is acting as public concern over the cuts has begun to emerge due to airport delays.