Sources told Fox News Digital that Congressional leaders have reached an agreement on a short-term extension of federal funding through early March, leading to a partial government shutdown at the end of next week. concerns have been alleviated.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D.Y.) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) are pushing for a vote in their respective chambers this week to avoid a partial shutdown on January 19th. A continuing resolution (CR) will need to be submitted again.
The agreement extends funding for some agencies and departments through March 1 and funding for others through March 8.
That would keep in place Johnson's “ladder” approach to CR, which was passed by Congress in mid-November.
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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (left) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (right) have reached an agreement to avert a government shutdown for the time being, people familiar with the matter said. (Getty Images)
The two-stage proposal would give the government some funding by January 19th and the rest by February 2nd. The first part of the plan's deadline considered spending bills on military construction and veterans affairs, which have historically been less controversial. Agriculture; Energy and Water. transportation, housing and urban development.
The remaining eight spending bills, including those related to the Department of Justice and Homeland Security, were scheduled to be developed by the February deadline.
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The purpose of separating the two deadlines is to make it impossible for Congress to pass an all-in-one “omnibus” spending bill, which Republicans across the board have opposed. House Republicans instead promised to return to “normal order” by passing 12 single-subject spending bills.
It was not immediately clear whether the details would remain the same in the new CR, and the legal text is not yet available. CR plans in March were first reported by Punchbowl News.
The deal will maintain Mr Johnson's 'ladder' approach to CR (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
A short-term government funding patch is almost certain to be opposed by the right, which has urged Johnson to use the government shutdown in exchange for extracting conservative border policy victories from the Democratic-run Senate and White House. is.
House Republicans started the year with many of the same divisions and frustrations seen in last year's session, primarily over government spending.
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Earlier this month, Johnson announced a bipartisan agreement with Schumer to set the government's discretionary spending level for fiscal year 2024 at $1.59 trillion. The parties will also honor an additional $69 billion agreement with former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). , and President Biden withdrew $16 billion from the additional cuts negotiated by Johnson to offset that.
President Biden and former Speaker Kevin McCarthy negotiated government funding last year. (Chris Kleponis/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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This has angered Republican hardliners who have accused Johnson of continuing the McCarthy policies he opposed.
Conservatives are calling on Mr. Johnson to return to a top-line contract with Mr. Schumer. But by Friday, he said the deal remained and that many rank-and-file House Republicans supported the position.
