Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios
Senate appropriators approved their energy and water spending bill in a unanimous vote Thursday.
Why it matters: The 28-0 vote inches the bill toward negotiations with the House, which failed to pass its own energy-water measure this month.
Driving the news: The Senate's proposal would increase DOE's topline budget to $52.26 billion and avoid the cuts to renewable energy programs proposed by House Republicans.
- Non-defense programs would see a nearly $300 million increase to $17.7 billion, per a committee summary.
Friction point: The House bill contains policy riders that the Senate will want to negotiate out, including on the LNG export permit pause.
- The House again proposes a huge cut to DOE's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office, while the Senate wants to leave funding flat at $3.46 billion.
Flashback: House Republicans couldn't get their bill past their own conference, and leadership was forced to pull it from the floor.
What they're saying: John Kennedy, the top GOP energy-water appropriator in the Senate, told Axios he favors a CR into next year.
- "We're going to have a new president and a new Congress, and I think most people are going to want to wait until we see who that is."
