Senate passes stopgap funding bill day before shutdown deadline

The Senate on Thursday approved a two-step stopgap measure to keep the government funded through March as lawmakers look to quickly finish fundraising efforts ahead of a looming government shutdown deadline and severe weather forecast for Friday. was approved.

The Senate passed the bill 77-18 Thursday afternoon, sending it to the House for a vote later that day.

As part of the previous stopgap measure passed in November, Congress extended funding to government agencies that fall under four of the 12 annual funding bills or are at risk of a partial government shutdown. The deadline to do so is January 19th.

The latest continuing resolution (CR) extends funding deadlines for agriculture, transportation, housing and urban development, energy, and the Food and Drug Administration to March 1.

Funding deadlines for remaining government agencies, including the Department of Defense, Department of Labor and Department of Education, will also be extended from February 2nd to March 8th.

As a last-ditch effort, Congress adopted a two-tier strategy, a common practice in Washington, as Republicans sought to avoid passing a massive omnibus bill covering all 12 annual funding bills. .

The bill faces fierce opposition from the right wing of House Republicans, but lawmakers from both parties say Congress can avoid funding logjams and allow negotiators to pass a larger spending bill through the Democratic-led Senate and Senate. I'm optimistic that I'll be able to buy time to create one. Republican-led House of Representatives.

The House is expected to table the CR under a suspension of rules, which would require two-thirds support to pass, but a procedural vote would circumvent conservatives' ability to object. .

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, R-New York, said: “We are committed to a bipartisan effort as appropriators complete the critical task of fully funding the government in the coming weeks once we overcome the threat of a government shutdown. I look forward to further increasing cooperation.” from the floor ahead of Thursday's vote.

But there are growing concerns about the pace of progress in broader spending talks. Both sides have struggled to find common ground on the individual apportionments of each bill, potentially marking another rocky start for Congress as it strives to meet tight self-imposed deadlines.

Spending cardinals said last week that distributions are expected, but some have suggested that challenges in areas such as funding for the Department of Homeland Security could become hurdles in negotiations.