House appropriators tomorrow will tackle two large spending bills -- transportation and agriculture -- in one marathon markup.

Both bills provide less funding than their counterparts in the Senate, and Democrats are likely to offer amendments at the House Appropriations Committee markup to boost budgets for various programs.

The transportation and housing spending bill totals $51.6 billion, a cut of $3.9 billion from current spending levels and almost $2 billion less than the Senate bill. The spending bill for agriculture and related agencies would provide $140.7 billion, which includes about $700 million less in discretionary funding than the Senate bill.

While lawmakers will no doubt debate the merits of various funding levels in the transportation bill, they will be working off a tentative proposal. Ultimately, the bill's spending levels are tied to the transportation authorization bill that is now being debated in a conference between the House and Senate.

The results of those negotiations are still uncertain. Last week, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) threatened to delay action on a long-term bill until after the November elections if an agreement is not made by the looming June 30 deadline (E&ENews PM, June 7).

It is a situation that is bound to come up at tomorrow's markup. In a subcommittee markup last week -- during which the panel quickly approved the spending bill -- lawmakers on both sides of the aisle expressed hope that a deal would be made and reconciled with the spending bill (Greenwire, June 7).

As it stands going into the markup, the $51.6 billion transportation spending bill cuts overall spending by $3.9 billion compared with current levels, eliminating funds for high-speed rail and the popular Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) livability grant program.

The House proposal would not change highway levels from fiscal 2012, sending $39.1 billion to the Federal Highway Administration, $2.7 billion below the White House request. The Federal Transit Administration would receive $2 billion, a $181 million cut from current levels.

Agriculture funding

The committee will also mark up a spending package that would provide $19.4 billion in discretionary spending for Agriculture and related agencies. The legislation's discretionary funding would be $365 million, or 1.8 percent, below current levels.

Earlier this month, appropriators moved the bill rapidly through a markup in the Agriculture, Rural Development, and Food and Drug Administration Appropriations Subcommittee.

Among the bill's proposed cuts is about $500 million to rural conservation programs, compared to the levels they are authorized to receive under the 2008 farm bill.

The Environmental Incentives Program, one of the largest agriculture conservation programs, would see a $350 million, or 20 percent, cut. The Conservation Stewardship Program would receive $75 million less than what the farm bill authorizes.

Some of the cuts are substantially different from the legislation approved by the full Senate Appropriations Committee. The House bill, for example, would cut a wildlife habitat program by $40 million, whereas the Senate bill cuts it by $12 million.

Other programs would also see cuts, including agricultural research, the food stamps program, rural economic development programs and food inspection programs. The Agriculture Department agency tasked with handing out loans and subsidies to farmers would lose about $23.8 million.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), a former chairwoman of the subpanel, offered the only amendment at the subpanel markup. The amendment proposed to fully fund the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the federal agency charged with regulating speculation in the oil futures market and carrying out the 2010 financial reform package.

She and other Democrats have pushed for a funding boost for CFTC as gas prices have gone up, blaming speculation for the increase. Her amendment would have given CFTC the full $308 million, or a 50 percent increase in funding, that the Obama administration requested for fiscal 2013.

Under the agriculture appropriations bill approved by the subpanel, CFTC would receive $180 million, or $25 million below current levels.

The bill "sets up the CFTC for failure," DeLauro said during the markup.

The decision on CFTC funding creates a wide divide between the House and Senate over the issue; last week, a Senate subpanel voted to provide the Obama administration's full funding request of $308 million for the next fiscal year.

The funding is necessary to enable the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to protect markets from fraud, manipulation and abusive practices, the Senate Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee said in a statement after a vote.

Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois chairs the subpanel. Other members are ranking member Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Sens. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) and Mark Kirk (R-Ill.).

Earlier this year, Senate appropriators unanimously approved a $20.1 billion discretionary spending bill for agriculture programs and FDA (E&ENews PM, April 26).

Schedule: The markup is tomorrow at 10:15 a.m. in 2359 Rayburn.