By now, we all know the terms of the debt ceiling and government spending bill President Joe Biden signed last weekend after an acrimonious weekslong negotiation with House Republicans. The White House got the debt limit extended to January 2025, allowing Biden to avoid another costly fight as he campaigns for reelection. Republicans got spending caps on nondefense discretionary spending in 2024 and 2025.
If using a stand-alone measure or a separate Ukraine aid package as a vehicle to get around budget caps sounds familiar, that’s because it is. In the not-so-distant past, lawmakers were able to claim respect for budget caps while practically subverting them by using the Overseas Contingency Operations account, which was originally established to fund war-related requirements pertaining to Iraq, Afghanistan, and the broader war on terrorism.
Technically, a Ukraine aid supplemental is a different animal than that account, which was part of the regular budget process. Supplementals are, by definition, requests made outside of regular budgeting. The principle, though, is the same: use whatever opportunity exists to sidestep financial limitations on defense. It’s a form of cheating that is both legal and convenient.
The question is whether Speaker Kevin McCarthy will allow the House to cooperate with such a scheme. His early words suggest opposition. Asked about a possible supplemental being used to get around the deal he personally negotiated, McCarthy told Punchbowl News that it was a nonstarter.
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