3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Jul 9
Summary
Hearings planned for the week of June 22 were canceled because Mitch McConnell’s continued absence left Senate appropriators unable to move ahead, according to a Republican aide.
McConnell, 84, has not voted on the Senate floor since June 11 and was hospitalized June 14; his absence wipes out Republicans’ one-seat majority on the committee, making tied votes likely to kill spending bills.
That matters as Congress returns Monday with limited time before the Sept. 30 funding deadline and with Republicans and Democrats already deadlocked over defense spending levels.
The Trump administration is seeking an additional $87.6 billion in supplemental Pentagon and agency funding tied largely to the renewed Iran war, while Democrats want any defense increase matched by domestic spending.
Without a broader deal, the Senate may struggle to advance fiscal 2027 appropriations and could again need a temporary stopgap bill to avoid a government shutdown.