Senate Passes FY 2004 Omnibus
Appropriations Bill
January 23, 2004 - The Senate Jan. 22 voted 65 to
28 to approve the conference report to accompany the FY 2004
Consolidated Appropriations bill (H.R.
2673), sending the $328 billion spending package to the
president for his signature. The vote on final approval came
after the Senate voted 61 to 32 to invoke cloture and limit
debate on the conference report. Senate Majority Leader Bill
Frist (R-Tenn.) Jan. 20 failed in his first effort to move
the conference report to a final vote when the Senate vote
of 48 to 45 in favor of the cloture motion fell short of the
60 votes needed to cut off debate and permit a final vote
on the conference report.
Following the initial cloture vote, Senate Majority Leader
Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) indicated the Democrats would no longer
block efforts to vote on the measure. The initial cloture
vote was largely symbolic as Democrats continued to register
opposition to the process and to raise the visibility of certain
issues such as country-of-origin food labeling and the overtime
rule. But as they did not have the votes to overturn these
issues in the omnibus bill and they did not want to risk a
government shutdown, the only viable option for the Democrats
was to let the omnibus pass and pursue these issues in other
bills throughout the coming year, which Sen. Daschle has pledged
to do. The Democrats' decision also recognized that the Republicans,
particularly in the House, were adamantly opposed to renegotiating
the omnibus and ready to suggest a year-long continuing resolution
at FY 2003 levels.
The consolidated appropriations package includes funding
for 7 of the 13 annual appropriations measures, including
the Labor-HHS-Education and VA-HUD bills.
Information:
Dave Moore, Senior Director
AAMC Government Relations
dbmoore@aamc.org
(202) 828-0525
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