Cornyn Knows of no Net Neutrality Issues Wrapped Into Omnibus
Lawmakers resigned themselves Tuesday to advancing another continuing resolution to fund the government once current funding expires at the end of Wednesday. They hoped to reach a deal and release a FY 2016 omnibus funding bill by late Tuesday, but…
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no deal was announced by our deadline. Senate Republican leaders vowed during a news conference they would advance appropriations measures by regular order next year and hope doing so is possible now that top-line budget numbers are set as part of a recent enacted two-year budget deal. “We’ll be able to have a couple of days to read it and digest it before we vote on it after the House does on Thursday, I hope, and it could slip into Friday,” Senate GOP Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, told reporters Tuesday: “That’s the goal.” Cornyn told us he hasn’t heard of any net neutrality issues getting wrapped into the omnibus government funding deal being negotiated. Among the policy riders, there’s a likely rider to grandfather broadcaster joint sales agreements and a rumored possible rider limiting the FCC’s regulation of ISP rates. The bipartisan leadership of the Senate Commerce Committee has doubted the net neutrality rider would make it into any omnibus deal. Cornyn said the GOP caucus will try to get a majority of Senate Republicans backing the omnibus but didn’t commit to that. “Part of the challenge is of course we would like to get more riders to restrict the Obama administration's regulations, but if Republicans don’t vote for the bill, you have to go get Democrats to vote for it to pass it, then they’re going to say, we’re taking those out,” Cornyn said of current negotiation in the omnibus overall. “Which has been part of the challenge.” Cornyn also said “we’re not going to have that vote now” of the conference version of the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act (HR-644), which includes a permanent extension of the Internet Tax Freedom Act (see 1512090060). “I don’t think it’s going to be stripped out of the conference report, but I do think there have been concerns that have been raised by those who support the Marketplace Fairness Act,” Cornyn told reporters of the permanent extension, heavily backed by ISP trade associations. “But the problem has been in the House. The Senate’s passed that previously by a pretty good margin. I think there’ll have to be a conversation about how to address the concerns of the folks that support that.”