What was once a rarity in American politics now happens every single year. Once again, Congress is trying to avert a government shut-down because it cannot agree on a spending bill.
This time, the Republicans in the House are trying a different tack. Instead of aiming for a six-month extension at current funding levels, they’re thinking about a three-month bill instead. To sweeten the deal for the other side, the GOP is dropping any provisions that tighten rules on voting in federal elections.
House Appropriations Committee chairman Tom Cole of Oklahoma said the GOP aims to be “pretty minimal” and wants to put forth a “clean” continuing resolution. This means the bill would focus mainly on funding without including unrelated provisions, such as those dealing with elections.
Those in the know say that bipartisan talks are already happening in the House and Senate, and those involved say they think the resolution will successfully extend funding through December of this year. Cole said politicians are waiting to see the results of the November presidential election, and after that, the House wants to have a budget voted on by the end of 2024.
The continuing resolution has not yet been released in final form, and it is not clear when that will happen. Those working on it still have to hammer out issues around what are called “anomalies.” One of them is whether the resolution will contain any language about funding natural disasters in declared emergencies.
Congressional staff tell media they think the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson (R-La.) will release the full text of the bill by Sunday, September 22. Some congressmen say they want to get this done as quickly as possible to avoid the possibility of an increase in spending if the Senate moves on the budget first.
If the bill is released this weekend then House members will have time to review it and potentially vote on the resolution by Tuesday or Wednesday next week.
For his part, Speaker Johnson said he has not made any final decisions on the content of the resolution or when it will be released.
