Staff Reports
Congressional leaders in the House and Senate have swooped in to save the day once again, reaching a deal on a spate of appropriations bills just in the nick of time. Phew! Crisis averted – for now anyway!
#BREAKING: Congressional leaders reach short-term deal to avoid government shutdown https://t.co/JvnSTQ2vor https://t.co/JvnSTQ2vor
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) February 28, 2024
These heroic appropriators finalized the agreement on Wednesday, just three days before the government was set to tumble into a chaotic partial shutdown. The proposal they patched up would maintain the deadlines that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has so wisely advocated, but would extend these dates ever so slightly to give lawmakers some extra time to dot the i’s and cross the t’s on the legislative text and bring them to the floor for votes. Slow and steady wins the race, folks!
Under this brilliant plan, the deadline for six appropriations bills – including crucial ones like Agriculture, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and other important areas – would be moved to March 8. The remaining six, the real juicy controversial ones, would get an extended deadline of March 22. Ah, the sweet smell of compromise in the air!
Now, there’s a bit of a twist in this plot. It’s not crystal clear whether the first six appropriations bills will be voted on separately ahead of next week’s proposed deadline or if lawmakers will opt for a minibus strategy that packages them all in one big vote. House Republicans have been beating the drum for individual votes, and with this extended timeline, it looks like they might just get their way – at least in the lower chamber.
Oh, and get this – this whole deal comes hot on the heels of Speaker Johnson’s meeting with none other than President Joe Biden and other congressional leaders. Johnson emerged from that pow-wow all smiles, confident that Congress would steer clear of a temporary funding fiasco over the weekend. Crisis averted once again – Johnson, the real hero of this story.
Of course, the actual continuing resolution is still in the works, but word on the street is that it’s expected to grab the bipartisan support it needs to pass with flying colors. And once it makes its dazzling entrance, the Senate will have to put on its turbo boosters to fast-track the bill and avoid a dreaded partial government shutdown at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday. Tick-tock, tick-tock – let’s hope no one decides to be the Grinch and object, forcing us to wait longer for this dramatic showdown to end!
