Inouye said the full House has yet to consider its bill to pay for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan for the rest of this year and for part of next year.

Inouye’s statement comes after Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) tentatively scheduled a markup for Thursday even though Senate leaders said they would wait for the House to act first. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) also suggested he might bypass the committee altogether and take the bill directly to the Senate floor, and when asked about Byrd’s plans, noted that a markup is “easy” to cancel.

According to aides and lawmakers, the panel is preparing for the possibility of a markup, but no final decision has been made. An announcement could come as soon as Tuesday afternoon.

Moving the bill directly to the floor would allow leaders in both chambers to limit amendments, which they fear could imperil its chances and create a protracted election-year battle with President Bush over war funding.

Talk of bypassing the powerful Appropriations committees in both chambers has irked Democratic and Republican appropriators, who say a bill that could reach up to $200 billion should go through regular order and be open to amendments.

House Democratic leaders presented a bill to their caucus this afternoon, and the bill could hit the floor as soon as this week.

The schedule for Senate action is less certain. But a number of aides expect the bill to be bigger than the House measure, which is expected to cost around $180 billion for the rest of this year and the part of next year.

Sen. Patty Murray (Wash.), a member of Democratic leadership and an appropriator, downplayed any dispute between leadership and the committee, saying she believed that Byrd and Reid were "working together on this."

"The committee is doing the work it’s supposed to do," she said.