The U.S. Senate pushed forward on a major appropriations package Thursday over the objections of Colorado’s senators, who had held up the bills last month in a bid to stop the Trump administration from dismantling a research center in Boulder.
The measure, which approves spending for the Commerce, Justice, Energy and Interior departments through the current fiscal year, passed the Senate on a broadly bipartisan vote of 82-15. It now goes to President Donald Trump to be signed into law.
Before the Christmas break, U.S. Sens. John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet objected to an agreement on preliminary votes. They cited the Trump administration’s announcement of its intention to shut down the world-renowned National Center for Atmospheric Research and move some “vital activities” elsewhere. Administration officials called NCAR a source of “climate alarmism.”
On Thursday, the funding package cleared a procedural vote 85-14, and then Bennet and Hickenlooper spoke on the floor as they pressed to add a safeguard for NCAR’s funding. The amendment wasn’t adopted, and they ultimately voted against the package.
Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, spoke against the NCAR amendment, arguing that incorporating it would add procedural complications. She also noted the package included money for the National Science Foundation, which provides much of NCAR’s support, but didn’t include carveouts for any particular NSF funding recipients.
Hickenlooper later noted how unusual the administration’s NCAR threat was in his floor remarks, calling for Congress to protect it.
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In a separate statement, Bennet expressed disappointment and said he will “pursue all options available to ensure that NCAR is protected.”
The package passed Thursday was among several under consideration as Congress faces a Jan. 30 deadline to avert another government shutdown. It’s now halfway home in approving government funding for the current budget year that began Oct. 1.
Lawmakers still must negotiate a spending bill for the Department of Homeland Security amid soaring tensions on Capitol Hill after the shooting of Minnesota resident Renee Good, a former Coloradan, by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent.
Staff writer Nick Coltrain, public affairs editor Jon Murray and the Associated Press contributed to this story.
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