Lawmakers this week reached short-term agreements to avert a government shutdown and began work on several spending bills that will be decided later.
The agreement announced Wednesday would fund six bills through March 8, covering the departments of Agriculture, Justice, Commerce, Energy, Interior, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D.Y.), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louis.) said, “Congress funds the government. “We agree that we must work in a bipartisan manner to achieve this goal.” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York in a joint statement Wednesday.
The first round of bills will be voted on as a package. The remaining six bills are scheduled to be extended until March 22nd.
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Incoming House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) speaks on the House floor as members of Congress gather at the U.S. Capitol. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
“Give the House and Senate Appropriations Committees sufficient time to implement this agreement in principle, including drafting, preparing report language, scoring, and other technical matters, and “Give members 72 hours to consider a short-term continuing resolution that would provide funding,” the lawmakers said, “22 days through March 8, to be voted on in the House and Senate this week.”
Under the terms of the agreement, the House is scheduled to vote on the bill on Thursday, and the Senate is scheduled to vote shortly thereafter. If passed, the deal would avert a partial government shutdown scheduled to take effect Friday.
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“We’re going to stop the shutdown. We’re working on it,” Johnson told Fox News on Tuesday.
President Biden is scheduled to deliver the State of the Union address on March 7, the day before the deadline to avert a government shutdown.
The dome of the US Capitol in Washington DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
If the government shutdown lasts beyond the weekend, it could result in a sudden government shutdown and the furloughing of many federal employees.
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“We’ve been working in good faith for months, weeks and the last few days quite literally around the clock, 24 hours a day, every day, to get that job done,” Johnson said after his speech. “We’re very optimistic. ” he said. Tuesday’s White House meeting.
