WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional and White House negotiators rushed Monday to complete year-end work on remaining government funding bills and avoid a partial shutdown of major departments starting this weekend without legislative action. there was.
Six months into the fiscal year, Congress is about halfway through passing a spending package expected to total about $1.65 trillion. Lawmakers passed the first part of the spending bill in early March, funding about 30% of the government. Lawmakers are now focused on bigger policy, as they customarily dial up the deadline for federal funding to expire.
Agreement was reached on five of the six spending bills that make up the second package, but negotiators are particularly confused about measures to fund the Department of Homeland Security, which is responsible for securing and managing the U.S. border. There was a collision. A person familiar with the negotiations but not authorized to discuss them publicly said late Monday that an agreement had been reached on homeland security spending. This breakthrough set the stage for Congress to avoid a partial shutdown.
The stakes are enormous for both sides, as border security has emerged as a central issue in the 2024 election campaign, and the flow of migrants across the southern border far exceeds the capacity of the U.S. immigration system to handle it. .
Negotiators were moving toward a simple solution. It was to pass a continuing resolution that would extend most of the funding for the Department of Homeland Security, albeit with a small increase from 2023 spending levels.
But aides to top Republicans said House Republicans want more resources on the border issue than they could get in a continuing resolution. The White House also ultimately refused to continue with the resolution, but did not make that clear in communications with allies in Congress until the “eleventh hour,” aides said, increasing the risk of a short shutdown. .
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined Monday to discuss the timeline under negotiation, but stressed that funding the government is the responsibility of lawmakers.
“It's their job to keep the government open,” she said.
Delving more specifically into funding for the Department of Homeland Security, the Biden administration said it has “maximized operations” and eliminated more personnel in the past 10 months than in any year since fiscal year 2013. . “It's important that we continue,” she said. This is the pace of operation. ”
“Obviously, we think DHS needs additional funding. We've always said that,” Jean-Pierre said.
Even if the text of the law could be published early this week, it is unclear whether Congress will be able to avoid a short partial shutdown. House rules require lawmakers to have 72 hours to consider the bill before voting. In that case, House Speaker Mike Johnson would likely have to introduce the bill through a streamlined process that would require two-thirds support.
Most of the “no” votes are expected to come from Republicans, who are expected to push back not only on overall spending levels but also on some issues, including restricting access to abortion and eliminating diversity and inclusion programs within federal agencies. has criticized the lack of policy mandates sought by conservatives. , and banning gender-affirming care.
The Senate will then act on the bill, but all senators must agree to speed up the process to a final vote by a deadline of midnight Friday. Such agreements typically require Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to allow various amendments to the bill to be brought to a vote in exchange for a faster final vote.
The package, which will be finalized this week, is expected to provide about $886 billion to the Department of Defense. The bill would also provide funding to the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Labor, and others.
Overall, the two spending packages will boost defense spending by about 3%, while keeping non-defense spending roughly flat from a year ago. This is in line with former Speaker Kevin McCarthy's agreement with the White House to limit spending for two years and suspend the debt ceiling until January 2025 to ensure the federal government continues to pay its bills. It was something.
House Republicans are determined to end the practice of combining all 12 annual spending bills into one giant bill called an omnibus. They this time he managed to split the expense bill into two parts.
___
Associated Press staff writer Chris Megerian contributed to this report.
