House Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) on Tuesday released the text of a stopgap bill extending federal funding from December 16, when it’s currently set to expire, through December 23. The bill, known as a continuing resolution, is meant to provide time for negotiators to finalize a full-year funding package.
The continuing resolution is slated to get a vote on the House floor on Wednesday “or, at the latest, Thursday,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) said. He added that he expects an agreement on a larger omnibus spending bill “in the next few days.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said Tuesday that “there’s a lot of work left to do” on the omnibus but expressed optimism that the package would get done by the holidays. “After all the progress made towards an omnibus agreement, I hope nobody here in the Senate stands in the way of getting a one-week CR passed quickly, through [unanimous] consent if needed,” Schumer said.
He added that he expects the omnibus will include priorities both sides want to become law, including additional funding for Ukraine and the Electoral Count Act clarifying the election certification process. “The best option, the most responsible option, is to proceed toward an omnibus even if it won’t contain everything both sides want,” Schumer said.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that if the bipartisan omnibus isn’t done by December 22, Republicans will push a continuing resolution extending into early 2023. “We intend not to be here between Christmas and New Years,” McConnell said.
The bottom line: The full-year budget deal isn’t done yet, but party leaders and negotiators sound optimistic that they’ll finalize an agreement soon. As talks proceed, lawmakers are preparing to buy some extra time and avert any chance of a partial government shutdown when current funding expires after Friday.
