WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – Congress is racing to pass a short-term bill to keep the government open into March ahead of Friday’s current deadline.
Lawmakers believe this will give them more time to negotiate a longer spending bill.
The Senate took the first steps Tuesday night to prevent a partial federal government shutdown on Friday.
“It’s a clear signal that the majorities in both parties in the senate want to pass this funding extension as quickly as we can,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)
The stop-gap spending bill would keep the government operating until March and give congressional negotiators time to try to hammer out a longer-term deal.
“If both sides continue working in good faith, we can avoid a shutdown without last-minute drama,” Schumer added.
House Speaker Mike Johnson continues to defend his agreement with Democrats to avoid a shutdown.
Conservatives in his own party say it doesn’t go far enough to reduce spending, but Johnson says it’s a good first step.
“I regard this as a downpayment on real reform that we’re going to do on the budgeting process,” said Johnson.
Oklahoma Republican Congressman Tom Cole says he believes there are enough votes to pass the bill.
“It’s very unlikely we’ll shut down the government,” said Cole.
Republicans are demanding action to secure the southern border in exchange for their votes on a longer-term federal spending bill, as well as military aid for Ukraine and Israel.
With a narrow majority in the House, republicans will need support from House democrats to pass the bill.
