Government lawmakers have reached a temporary deal to avert a shutdown ahead of a Friday deadline to approve funding for the nation.
The development includes four funding bills that will be extended to Mar. 8 while the rest of the budget will be extended to Mar. 22. In a joint statement, top American lawmakers said that they were in agreement that Congress needs to work in a bipartisan manner in order to fund the government.
Deal to Avert Government Shutdown
Top U.S. lawmakers have reached a temporary deal to avert a government shutdown after lawmakers have been divided on the issue.
Following the new agreement, the House is expected to vote on the stopgap measure as early as Thursday. Democratic and Republican lawmakers have been far apart in the budget negotiations on border security as well as additional aid for Ukraine against Russia's invasion.
The GOP's control of the House is only slim while Democrats have power over the Senate but only by a single seat. Spending bills are needed to keep the American government open and running but they require both parties in order to advance through both chambers to the United States President Joe Biden's desk for signature, as per BBC.
There have only been 10 government shutdowns or partial shutdowns in the last four decades. The latest bipartisan deal was struck by House and Senate negotiators on Wednesday. It came a day after congressional lawmakers traveled to the White House in order to meet with President Biden.
In a statement, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said that the measure will be voted on by the House and Senate this week.
The focus will now shift to congressional leaders who will face the difficult task of convincing rank-and-file lawmakers to support the bipartisan agreement. The Republican speaker is facing fierce objections from some within his own party who are demanding spending cuts and insist that additional support for Ukraine should be tied to border security policies.
Months of Negotiations
The joint statement noted that the bills will adhere to the Fiscal Responsibility Act discretionary spending limits and January's topline spending agreement. The leaders said that the announcement of the measure was set to give the House and Senate Appropriations Committee sufficient time to work on the matter, according to CBS News.
The new deadlines could still pose a problem for the American government, as the House has struggled to approve funding amid Republican divisions. For months, Congress has punted the spending fight down the road as House conservatives expressed their demands.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on the other hand said that the president and congressional leaders made it clear that they cannot allow a government shutdown. She added that the tentative agreement will help prevent a "needless" incident.
Johnon's troubles are exacerbated by hard-right Republicans who are opposing funding proposals. This issue is expected to worsen as on Wednesday Democrat Tom Suozzi of New York was sworn in after winning a special election to take the seat of ousted GOP Rep. George Santos over lying about his background and financial misconduct, said the Associated Press.
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