On Wednesday, leaders from both the House and Senate reached a bipartisan agreement to prevent a partial government shutdown looming before Friday’s deadline.
According to the terms of the deal, the House is set to vote on a temporary funding bill on Thursday, followed by a Senate vote. The legislation is anticipated to secure passage in the House with Democratic support.
However, potential procedural obstacles might arise in the Senate if a member objects to expediting the voting process, potentially delaying the vote beyond the shutdown deadline.
Should the deal be approved, it would effectively prevent a partial government shutdown affecting approximately 20% of government functions this Friday. The agreement also establishes new funding deadlines: March 8 for the aforementioned 20% and March 22 for the remaining 80%.
The March 8 deadline could result in President Joe Biden delivering his State of the Union address the night before, emphasizing the urgency to avert a partial shutdown.
As he entered the Capitol earlier on Wednesday, Speaker Mike Johnson responded, “Things are moving along well,” in response to a question regarding government funding.
Johnson’s fellow conference members have opposed his proposal to utilize continuing resolutions. Recently, the House Freedom Caucus urged Johnson to present a yearlong temporary funding bill involving significant cuts to government expenditures.
During a meeting with other prominent congressional leaders at the White House earlier this week, Johnson expressed optimism that a consensus could be reached. He asserted that Republicans were engaging in “good faith” negotiations on spending, despite encountering resistance from some GOP hard-liners regarding the approach to addressing the issue.
“We all agree a shutdown is a loser for the American people. In a shutdown, costs would go up, safety would go down, and the American people would pay the price,” On the Senate floor on Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer stated. “I’m hopeful that the four leaders can reach this agreement very soon but so we cannot only avoid a shutdown on Friday but get closer to finishing the appropriations process all together.”
Schumer urged House Republicans to put aside their differences of opinion and rebuff hardliners’ threats to shut down the government if their demands are not satisfied.
“This is no way to govern. If our House Republican colleagues of good will want to do the right thing, they must accept a fundamental truth about divided government: Republicans cannot pass a bill without Democratic support. It takes both sides working together and ignoring the extremes of the hard-right to get anything done.”
