Due to several unrelated amendments, the Senate’s five-year reauthorization bill (S. 782) for the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is facing major hurdles on the Senate floor next week. The EDA reauthorization bill has been on the Senate floor for nearly two weeks, with the Senate Democratic leadership using the bill as a forum to discuss the economy, federal debt and deficits, and role of EDA in local job creation initiatives. 

Unfortunately, the bill is also being used as a vehicle to debate and attach non-germane, highly politically charged issues such as federal subsidies for ethanol, endangered species issues and more than 100 other non-EDA related amendments.  This is a major reason that the bill is expected to fail on the Senate floor with the cloture vote Tuesday afternoon.  In addition, the Club for Growth, Heritage Foundation and Cato Institute have all launched aggressive attacks on EDA, culminating in a Wall Street Journal op-ed piece by Sen. James DeMint (R-SC) criticizing EDA and calling for the elimination of the agency. 

Even if the EDA reauthorization bill is defeated or tabled in the Senate, the agency will continue to operate through the annual appropriations process.  The authorization process is a separate legislative process for establishing the overall policy framework and policies for an agency or program.