The top House Democratic appropriator has announced that legislators have reached an agreement on a stopgap bill that will finance federal agencies until mid-February, moving Congress closer to avoiding a partial government shutdown.
According to House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro, a Democrat from Connecticut, the bill is a short-term continuing resolution that extends federal funding at current levels through February 18 and provides an additional $7 billion across four agencies to assist with Afghan refugee relocation efforts.
According to CBS News, DeLauro claimed the new measure includes “virtually no changes to existing funding or policy” and enables the appropriations process to move closer to a final deal. Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama, the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said he is “pleased” lawmakers could reach an agreement on the short-term bill but urged appropriators to “get serious” about finalizing individual agency spending bills.
Shelby stated:
“I have said many times that work can only begin if we agree to start FY22 where we finished FY21. That means maintaining legacy riders, eliminating poison pills, and getting serious about the funding we are going to provide for our nation’s defense. If that doesn’t happen, we’ll be having this same conversation in February.”
The bill will likely be debated in the House this week, as an earlier short-term resolution expires.
The White House Office of Management and Budget issued a statement praising the $7 billion for Afghan refugee resettlement operations and called for “swift passage” of the measure. It also pushed legislators to seek an agreement on individual appropriations bills to avoid passing another continuing resolution. Additionally, the statement claimed, “Full-year appropriations bills are critical for a wide range of bipartisan priorities — from defense readiness and modernization to research and development, to veteran benefits programs.”
H.R.-6119-SAPThe resolution’s future in the Senate is uncertain due to Republican opposition to Biden’s vaccination mandates. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats will “work to pass it as quickly as possible.” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he believes federal funding will not default on Friday. However, even if the house approves the bill, it could still be held up in the Senate, as any senator can halt the bill’s quick passage.
Several Republicans, led by Utah Senator Mike Lee, are fighting for wording in the bill that would prevent the Biden administration from imposing a vaccination requirement on private businesses, a move that could provoke a brief shutdown by delaying the package’s passage.
Besides the looming government shutdown on December 3, Congress will vote on the annual $768 billion military bill and whether to increase or suspend the debt ceiling in the coming weeks. The National Defense Authorization Act is now deadlocked in the Senate following an objection from Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio.
