Illustration: Natalie Peeples/Axios
Senate appropriators advanced a bipartisan spending bill for the Interior Department and EPA on Thursday.
Why it matters: It came just about 12 hours after the House approved its own partisan Interior-environment bill, setting up contentious talks headed into recess.
Driving the news: Senate Appropriations signed off on the measure 28–1. (Marco Rubio was the lone "no.")
- The committee also advanced its spending bill for the Commerce Department.
Zoom in: The bill would spend $9.3 billion at EPA, a slight bump from fiscal 2024 and a huge contrast to the House GOP's proposed 20% cut.
- A committee summary says that would include "modest increases across all EPA programs."
- Interior would get $15.8 billion, roughly $1 billion more than the House proposal.
- And like the House bill, Senate appropriators say they've included a "permanent pay fix" for wildland firefighters.
The big picture: Fiscal 2025 appropriations are still in shaky territory after House leadership had one bill fail on the floor earlier in the month and had to pull the energy-water title from consideration this week.
House Energy-Water Subcommittee Chair Chuck Fleischmann told Axios Thursday that he hopes to try again after the August recess.
- The bill fell apart in GOP divisions about amendments on port funding in Georgia and concern from climate-conscious Republicans about battery storage permitting.
- Fleischmann said he's also lobbying other Republicans concerned about his bill's small overall spending increase, which is mainly in defense-related accounts.
- He could start negotiating with the Senate without getting the House bill approved on the floor. But, he added, "there's no question that it'd be preferable to have a W up there."
