© Reuters. Capitol Hill Leaders Secure Funding Deal, Postpone Shutdown Threat To March
Benzinga – by Michael Cohen, Benzinga Editor.
Congressional leaders on Capitol Hill successfully brokered a deal Wednesday to fund the government, averting potential shutdowns by setting new deadlines for a series of crucial spending bills.
This agreement encompasses six annual appropriations bills and introduces a temporary measure to extend funding, thereby postponing the shutdown threat until later in March, Politico reports.
The finalized negotiations cover a range of sectors including Agriculture-FDA, Energy-Water, Military Construction-VA, Transportation-HUD, Interior-Environment and Commerce-Justice-Science, all of which now face a March 8 deadline.
The intention is to unveil the bill texts by the upcoming weekend and to secure passage in the following week, ensuring funding continuity for these agencies until September.
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The agreement also delineates a subsequent deadline of March 22 for the remaining fiscal 2024 appropriations, which include more divisive areas such as the Pentagon and the Departments of Homeland Security, Labor, Health and Human Services and Education.
This sets the stage for a critical period of negotiations, particularly for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and other key congressional figures.
The current accord, reached ahead of President Joe Biden‘s State of the Union address, culminates weeks of bipartisan discussions and intense debates over policy specifics. It builds on a preliminary funding framework established last month by Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
With the clock ticking toward a potential partial government shutdown by Saturday, both the House and Senate are under pressure to enact the stopgap measure promptly.
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