With House Republicans’ appropriations work sputtering and Vice President Kamala Harris catapulting to the top of the Democratic ticket, congressional Democrats say they are increasingly optimistic about their prospects in upcoming spending fights.
In the span of a few days this month, political momentum appears to have swung to the left at a time when it seemed like Democrats’ chances of coming out on top in the November elections had sunk to a new low.
President Joe Biden ceded his spot atop the Democratic ballot to Harris, who swiftly energized the voter base. And House Republicans — who had been quickly passing conservative fiscal 2025 appropriations bills — left Washington last week having abruptly canceled a series of spending bill votes amid internal party divisions.
Democratic appropriators say the developments have been galvanizing. They are looking to parlay the new momentum into a successful lame-duck session where they hope to be able to block a majority of GOP policy riders — including on clean energy, climate and the environment — for a second year in a row.
