© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A man uses his mobile phone near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 10, 2024. REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File Photo
By Makini Brice and Richard Cowan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Congress on Wednesday worked behind closed doors to avert a partial government shutdown, slowed by disagreements between the two parties and within the fractious House Republican majority over budget and policy priorities.
Congressional leaders reached a deal on government funding that could clear the way for votes on six of the 12 fiscal 2024 government spending bills, along with new deadlines for later in March for approving all of these measures, Politico reported.
Aides to congressional leaders were not immediately available for comment.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, opened the Senate earlier Wednesday declaring that “we are very close” to an agreement on legislation funding a handful of government agencies through Sept. 30, the end of the current fiscal year.
But Schumer provided no details.
Republican House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson has offered Democrats the possibility of a fourth short-term stopgap measure to avert a government shutdown after funding runs out on Friday. But first, Democrats and Republicans would have to cut a deal on a number of fiscal 2024 appropriations bills that face staggered deadlines of March 1 and March 8 for the array of government agencies.
A continuing resolution, or “CR,” could extend the shutdown deadlines to March 8 and March 22.
“Any CR would be part of a larger agreement to finish a number of appropriations bills, ensuring adequate time for drafting text and for members to review prior to casting votes,” Johnson spokesperson Athina Lawson said in a statement.
Without passage of some sort of legislation by early Saturday, operations within the departments of Agriculture, Energy, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development could be curtailed. Construction at some U.S. military installations also could be stalled.
Schumer and Johnson have traded blame despite an agreement reached last month on $1.59 trillion in discretionary spending for the fiscal year.
Hardliners within Johnson’s thin Republican majority in the House have sought spending cuts and policy changes, including some related to abortion and food aid, on the funding bills, which Democrats have balked at.
The furious closed-door negotiating comes as the current national debt stands at $34.3 trillion and is rapidly rising. Rating agency Moody’s (NYSE:) said in September a government shutdown would hurt the country’s credit rating.
In addition to the government funding bills, Congress is also struggling to pass a $95 billion national security funding bill, including new aid for Ukraine and Israel, which Biden has urged. The Senate passed a bill, but it has been held up in the House.
