Congress To Introduce Short-Term Government Funding Bill

Congress is expected to introduce a short-term spending bill today to avoid a government shutdown on Friday.

• Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said the measure will provide negotiators an extra week to hammer out a compromise on a Fiscal Year 23 omnibus: “Members should be prepared to take quick action on a CR, a one-week CR, so we can give appropriators more time to finish a full funding bill...”
• Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said: “Both sides know what it would take for the Senate to pass a full-year government funding bill into law."
• House Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) said she’s optimistic they can, "get to yes,” but Democrats and Republicans still struggling to reach a compromise on defence and non-defence spending, with a reported USD$26 billion discrepancy blocking progress.
• A December 23 stopgap provides a tight but manageable window to pass a long-term FY23 omnibus, and with little political will to push negotiations into the next Congress, especially for Democrats with the GOP set to take control of the House, concessions from Democrats in the next few days on social spending are likely.