Congressional appropriators are facing yet another challenge to their authority after Republicans laid out plans to fund the Department of Homeland Security for the foreseeable future through budget reconciliation.
Appropriations members have been through the wringer for much of the past year, having endured two painful shutdowns sandwiched around a monthslong effort that culminated in Congress funding the vast majority of the federal government. All of that also came after a pair of rescission bills that challenged their standing further.
With the DHS shutdown almost in the rearview, appropriators are staring down the emerging Republican plan to fund the department for three years in an upcoming reconciliation package — which allows a party to pass top priorities with majority support. They are already admitting it will hurt them moving forward in pending negotiations and set a worrisome precedent down the line.