Main Topic: Congress likely to pass a short-term government funding bill to avoid a shutdown this fall.
Key Points:
1. Speaker Kevin McCarthy believes a short-term funding bill is necessary due to lack of time for a full-year funding deal.
2. The length of the stopgap bill and policy terms still need to be agreed upon by congressional leaders.
3. The House and Senate are moving in different directions on appropriations, with the House seeking spending cuts and conservative policy provisions, while the Senate aims for bipartisan support and avoids controversial provisions.
House GOP leaders are considering avoiding a government shutdown by approving a short-term continuing resolution instead of a massive bill to fund the Pentagon, as they face demands from hardliners for deeper spending cuts and specific funding levels.
Lawmakers in Congress have less than two weeks to reach a deal on funding the government past September 30, and there is a risk of a partial government shutdown if an agreement is not reached. Some GOP groups are discussing a 30-day stopgap spending patch with border security measures attached, but a shutdown is expected to be short-term.
The leaders of the bipartisan House Problem Solvers Caucus are considering all options, including a discharge petition, to force a vote on their alternative stopgap plan to avoid a government shutdown as funding is set to run out on September 30.
Senators from both parties are debating whether to include new military aid for Ukraine in a stopgap spending bill to prevent a government shutdown, with some Republicans concerned about complicating Speaker Kevin McCarthy's attempts to resolve the spending logjam.
Senate Republicans and Democrats have reached an agreement on a stopgap spending plan to prevent a government shutdown, but it faces resistance in the Republican-led House due to opposition to aid for Ukraine and maintaining federal funding at current levels.
Senate leaders are taking control to avoid a government shutdown by advancing a stopgap funding bill, pressuring House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to bring it to the House floor for a vote.
The Senate has passed a bipartisan bill to extend funding and prevent a government shutdown, although it may not be sufficient to avoid a shutdown entirely.
The House and Senate are moving forward with their own government funding plans, with the Senate unveiling a bipartisan measure that extends funding through Nov. 17 and provides money for Ukraine and disaster relief, while House Republicans advanced four GOP-crafted full-year spending bills that will not prevent a shutdown.
Opponents of a Senate stopgap measure are delaying a vote, making a government shutdown increasingly likely as the midnight Sunday deadline approaches.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has suggested passing a "clean" continuing resolution without Ukraine aid as a possible solution to avert a shutdown, but it is uncertain if such a measure will be put to a vote, as Republicans are still exploring other possibilities within their own party.
The Senate is set to reconvene on Saturday to vote on a bipartisan proposal to extend federal funding and prevent a government shutdown, however, the bill faces significant opposition in the Republican-controlled House, making a shutdown still likely.
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a stopgap funding bill, which maintains current spending levels for 45 days, includes $16 billion in disaster relief, but excludes Ukraine aid and border policy changes, and the bill has been sent to the Senate for a vote.
President Joe Biden signed a stopgap funding bill to avert a government shutdown, but the absence of aid for Ukraine puts it in serious jeopardy.
Congress passed a stopgap funding bill to keep the government open through mid-November, avoiding a shutdown that would have had devastating effects, allowing federal workers to continue receiving pay and preventing disruptions to air travel and relief efforts in the wake of natural disasters.
Lawmakers avoided a government shutdown by passing a 47-day stopgap funding measure, but will need to find a solution by November 17th to prevent a Thanksgiving shutdown, while House Speaker Kevin McCarthy faces threats to his position and potential removal from Rep. Matt Gaetz.
