By Sahil Kapur, Scott Wong, Ryan Nobles and Rebecca Kaplan -
NBC News
Republican and Democratic negotiators announced this Wednesday that they have reached an agreement to avoid a partial government shutdown this week, after resolving their differences over half a dozen spending bills that must be approved and extending a couple of deadlines until late March. funding deadlines to give congressmen more time.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Republican Mike Johnson, and the Majority Leader in the Senate, Democrat Chuck Schumer, stated in a joint statement with those responsible for preparing the spending bills, that they had arrived to an agreement on six bills that fund several federal agencies, including the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Energy, Interior, Justice, Transportation and Veterans Affairs.
In addition, they have agreed to bring a short-term bill to a vote to avoid a partial government shutdown this weekend, buying
more time to approve the final
financing agreement.
“We agree that Congress must work in a bipartisan manner to fund our Government,” the leaders said in the statement.
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Mike Johnson on December 12, 2023.Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images file
“After final text is prepared, this package of six full-year Appropriations bills will be voted on and signed into law by March 8,” Johnson, Schumer and the negotiators added.
“The remaining six bills – on Defense, Financial Services and General Government, Homeland Security, Labor-HHS, Legislative Branch, and State and Foreign Operations – will be finalized, brought to a vote and signed into law by March 22.”
The House of Representatives returns to session Wednesday after a two-week recess.
Johnson promised to give members 72 hours before voting on a funding deal, leaving
insufficient time to avoid a partial shutdown
before midnight Friday without an interim bill.