Congress Races to Pass Initial Funding Bills, But Contentious Policy Fights Loom for Next Deadline
• Congressional leaders moving quickly to pass first funding bills by next Friday, but see issues with next deadline on March 22 • Funding bills due by March 22 cover contentious areas like Homeland Security, Defense, Labor, Education, and more • Negotiators cite partisan policy additions and difficulty agreeing on spending allocations as hurdles • House GOP leadership bringing funding bills to floor under suspension rules requiring Democratic support • Staff working hard behind the scenes to prepare text of funding bills for weekend rollout