The House of Representatives, under Republican control, will vote this Thursday on a budget measure to avoid a partial shutdown of the federal government when funds for several of its departments and agencies run out this Friday, according to its leader, Mike Johnson.
The Senate, with a Democratic majority, would later vote on the measure, according to The Associated Press news agency, following the agreement reached on Wednesday by legislative leaders of both parties.
Under the new plan, Congress would temporarily fund several federal agencies until March 8, and another until March 22.
In the meantime, attempts will be made to agree and approve another package to finance the Government for the rest of the budget year.
McConnell, Schumer and Johnson at a meeting at the Capitol on Tuesday, December 12, 2023.J.
Scott Applewhite/AP
The agreement reached on Wednesday, however, leaves out a possible $95 billion package of emergency funds for the national security of Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, as well as budgetary measures on border security.
“We agree that Congress must work in a bipartisan manner to fund our Government,” said Johnson's joint statement along with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat;
and the Republican leader in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, among others.
[These are the Government departments that would have to close if there is no agreement to finance them]
What will be voted on this Thursday
Congressional leaders reached agreement on six bills that will stick to previously agreed upon spending levels in 2023. They affect Veterans Affairs departments;
Agriculture;
Transport;
Interior and others, and must be voted on and enacted before March 8.
The other six bills for the Pentagon, Homeland Security, Health and the State Department still have to be finalized, voted on and signed into law by March 22.
Legislative leaders had said that a short-term extension would be voted on this week so that federal agencies could continue receiving funds while they worked on those two packages.
They will thus have 72 hours to review the broader legislative packages, as provided for by the House rules.
If the deal and subsequent bills pass, it would maintain federal government funding through the end of the budget year on Sept. 30 and avoid further short-term measures.
Senior military officials asserted in a briefing at the Pentagon that the delay in approving a budget for 2024 has affected the Armed Forces,
as they have responded to crises in recent months without additional money to do so.
“As the president [Democrat Joe Biden] and congressional leaders made clear in yesterday's meeting, we cannot allow a government shutdown,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement. who reiterated that the agreement reached will help avoid an “unnecessary” federal closure.
Congress is mired in what has become a familiar cycle of shutdown threats and disruptions, as far-right Republicans push for bigger spending cuts than Democrats and even some other Republicans are willing to allow. accept.
This would be the fourth extension of short-term financing in about five months.
Although Johnson inherited a difficult dynamic, it was made even worse after his majority was further reduced when Democrat Tom Suozzi of New York was sworn into office Wednesday to applause from Democrats following the special election to replace the deposed Republican representative George Santos.
The House is divided 213-219, leaving Johnson with no margin.