WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – Congressional leaders and President Joe Biden say they’ve reached an agreement to fund the government and avoid a shutdown, but it looks unlikely that they can reach a deal by Friday’s midnight deadline.
However, lawmakers say they’re close enough to see the finish line.
“I want to be clear. There’s a lot of work to do in the coming days,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)
Holdout Republicans say there’s no deal without border reforms.
“Worse than shutting down the government temporarily is further exacerbating the problems that are causing so much harm for the American people,” said Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.).
House leadership says it’s got a funding agreement, but under House rules, new bills need 72 hours for review.
“We have to demonstrate that we can keep this thing together and keep the train on the tracks,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).
They haven’t voted yet and that puts the final passage beyond Friday at midnight, almost guaranteeing a partial shutdown.
“The stakes really couldn’t be higher for American security at home and abroad,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).
Once the funding agreement clears the House, it has to pass the Senate, a body not known for speediness.
“Once the House sends us a funding package. I will put it on the floor of the Senate without delay,” said Schumer.
If all senators agree to vote yea passage could be quick, but it only takes one thumbs down to stop the process.
“We haven’t had a government shutdown since 2019. There’s no good reason for us to have one this week,” said Schumer.
The House can come up with a workaround to avoid that 72-hour rule. Lawmakers are expecting to see the final text of the funding bill Wednesday.
