Lawmakers are once again taking their time finding a way to avoid a government shutdown.
House and Senate leaders met in mid-January and passed a short-term extension of last year’s government spending levels, known as the continuing resolution (CR), giving them more time to fast-track an agreement for the remainder of fiscal year 2024. . .
This is the third CR passed since the previous fiscal year, which ended on September 30, and kept funding for some government agencies until March 1 and others until March 8. .
The House leaves for a long weekend on Wednesday and is not scheduled to return until Tuesday.
Johnson caught between rival House Republicans: ‘Drifting towards mob rule’
From left to right: House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana; Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D.N.Y. (Getty Images)
The Senate was in session last week but is expected to adjourn next week. The break could be interrupted for work on the foreign aid package apart from the usual discretionary government spending discussions.
As things stand, the House and Senate are expected to be in session for only two more days this month.
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“We’re not doing anything about this right now, we’re just fighting the battle at hand,” one House Republican leadership aide said of the fight over government spending.
“At this point, we had to prepare for the outcome to be like this: It’s almost impossible to move the floor.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) has passed continuing resolutions twice, each time splitting the government’s funding deadline into two and avoiding an omnibus. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
A second senior House Republican aide said, “The fact that we are heading toward another government shutdown and no spending bill has been passed for months is beyond alarming.” .
“We know the deadline is within a month, but we are governing as if the deadline is years away, repeating the same self-inflicted wounds over and over again. It’s an operating procedure.”
Johnson sticks to bipartisan deal as Republican rebels concede defeat in short-term spending battle
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York has passed three spending bills so far, compared to seven in the House. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Failure to extend current funding levels or reach agreement on new levels could result in a partial government shutdown, suspension of federal programs, and furloughing of thousands of federal employees. There is a possibility that you will be furloughed.
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On the House side, Republicans spent much of last month pushing for the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over the border crisis, which failed this week, but House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) has pushed for impeachment. I made it clear. Another attempt.
