Congress strikes deal to avert a partial government shutdown — for now
With less than three days to go before a partial government shutdown, Congress has a deal to pass another short-term funding bill to buy more time.
WASHINGTON — Bipartisan negotiators announced Wednesday they have struck a deal to avert a partial government shutdown this week, securing agreement on half of the dozen must-pass spending bills and extending a pair of fast-approaching funding deadlines deeper into March to buy Congress more time.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a joint statement with appropriators, members charged with crafting spending bills, that they have a deal on six bills that fund several federal agencies, including the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Energy, Interior, Justice, Transportation and Veterans Affairs. And they've agreed to vote on a short-term bill to avoid a partial government shutdown this weekend, buying more time to pass the funding deal.
“We are in agreement that Congress must work in a bipartisan manner to fund our government," the leaders said in the statement.
"After preparing final text, this package of six full year Appropriations bills will be voted on and enacted prior to March 8," Johnson, Schumer and the appropriators added. “The remaining six Appropriations bills — Defense, Financial Services and General Government, Homeland Security, Labor-HHS, Legislative Branch, and State and Foreign Operations — will be finalized, voted on, and enacted prior to March 22."
The House returned to session Wednesday after a two-week recess, and Johnson promised to give members 72 hours before a vote on a funding deal, leaving insufficient time to avoid a partial shutdown by the Friday midnight deadline without a stopgap bill.
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