The race to avoid a government shutdown by FRIDAY: Republicans and Democrats carve out a deal to keep the government funded until mid January and avoid furloughing federal workers
The House could vote as early as Wednesday on a temporary measure to fund the government through the beginning of next year as Democrats seek a way to starve off a shutdown.
Government funding runs out Friday at midnight. The House measure would then go to the Senate for approval.
Democrats are seeking the stopgap solution as they struggle to deal with their December agenda, which includes keeping the government running, passing a critical defense bill, raising the debt ceiling and final approval for President Joe Biden's signature Build Back Better legislation.
Any spending battle can devulge into bipartisan bickering and interparty warfare - Democrats are facing four of them this month.
A temporary government funding bill, that would keep things running through mid to late January, would buy lawmakers time, taking one of the major battles off the table.
'With so many critical issues, the last thing that the American people need right now is a shutdown. The last thing the American people need right now is a government shutdown, and Democrats are going to work this week to make sure we don't have one,' Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said on Monday.
But Republicans are hesitant about Democrats timeline with some pushing for the temporary funding to go through February - that would extend the current budget operating guidelines, which were set in the Trump administration. The Biden administration has yet to see its government funding level approved.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is trying to get a temporary measure funding the government through beginning of next year passed this week
But Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell pulled a legislative move on Monday that indicated Democrats are in for a rough December
'I'd like February,' Republican Sen. Richard Shelby, the top GOP lawmaker on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said of the January extension 'March would suit me. April. May. … I think it gives us more time to seriously sit down.'
And lawmakers may be in for long nights and weekend work as they struggle to get it all done.
'I am confident we can get each of these important items done this year, but it will likely take some long nights and weekends,' Schumer noted.
The push for a temporary solution comes after Senate Republicans on Monday showed Democrats they may be in for a rough December.
The popular, must-pass bill that funds the Pentagon, known as the National Defense Authorization Act, hit a snag on Monday evening when Republican senators blocked it from advancing as a part of a dispute over amendment votes.
Republicans are objecting to the lack of the amendments being included, including measures on items like sanctions over Russia's Nord Stream 2 pipeline to Germany.
GOP Senators Jim Risch, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Ted Cruz are pushing for the vote but President Biden's administration opposes further sanctions, arguing it would alienate European allies.
Working out the dispute will take time and a temporary measure to fund the government will give the Senate just that. The defense bill needs to be on Biden's desk before the end of the year.
Meanwhile the debt limit expires on December 15 and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellin will warn lawmakers not raising could led the country into a recession.
'I cannot overstate how critical it is that Congress address this issue. America must pay its bills on time and in full. If we do not, we will eviscerate our current recovery. In a matter of days, the majority of Americans would suffer financial pain as critical payments, like Social Security checks and military paychecks, would not reach their bank accounts, and that would likely be followed by a deep recession,' she will tell the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, according to her written testimony.
Schumer and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell met before Thanksgiving to talk aobout raising the debt ceiling but have shared few details on what was discussed.
McConnell helped Democrats do a temporary bump but Republicans have made clear they would not do so again.
'All I can tell you is the Democrats are going to have to deliver the votes; we've been saying that all along,' said Republican Sen. John Thune, a member of party leadership.
Sen. Joe Manchin continues to raise concerns about inflation and the cost of President Biden's Build Back Better legislation
Finally, Democrats want pass Biden's social spending package before Christmas. It's been approved by the House but will likely be amended by the Senate, which would send it back to the House for another vote before it goes to Biden's desk.
The $1.7 trillion spending package can only pass with Democratic votes in the Senate but moderate Sen. Joe Manchin continues to raise concerns about its cost.
'I heard an awful lot over the Thanksgiving break that prices were high and people were very much upset about that and concerned about: Is inflation going to get worse?' Manchin said on Monday.
Additionally, Sen. Bernie Sanders and other progressive senators also weren't happy that the House bill included a SALT provision, allowing Americans to write-off state and local taxes - considered a boon for the rich.
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