House leadership pulled off something of a coup late Wednesday when the fiscal 2025 Interior-Environment spending bill passed, avoiding becoming the second GOP-drafted appropriations bill in as many days to be yanked ahead of scheduled votes.
The episode marks the end of House appropriations votes until September, as leadership announced earlier Wednesday it would forgo votes next week amid scheduling conflicts and a hectic campaign season.
Hopes were already dwindling for passage of the remaining spending bills amid intraparty GOP conflicts, and sending members home instead would preserve the image of party unity rather than end the work period on a divisive note. Party leaders haven’t been getting more than a handful of Democratic votes on spending bills so far this cycle, meaning they couldn’t afford many Republican defections.
