Appropriations Committee chair Robert Byrd (D-WV) stated yesterday that he is postponing markups of the Interior-Environment and Legislative Branch FY 2009 appropriations bill and a second supplemental bill. The announcement to push off the supplemental comes a week after Bryd announced July 10 that he planned to markup the measure July 24. His reluctance to move Interior-Environment is similar to that of House Appropriations Committee chair David Obey's (D-WI) -- uncertainty about their ability to block Republican-backed oil and gas drilling provisions that would be tacked on to the bill. In late June, Obey brought the appropriations process in the House to halt. And citing ounting priorities in Congress, including the extenders tax package, energy, and housing legislation, Senate Byrd said that he does not plan to markup a second supplemental spending bill before the August recess. And according to this CongressDaily piece ($), an aide to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said that it is "evident that [the House] will not be marking up a stimulus bill until after the recess,"