Congress Struggles to Pass Spending Bills, Potential Government Shutdown Looms
Congress faced challenges last week in passing four spending bills to avert a partial government shutdown, and now they have only a few days left to approve six spending packages before the deadline on Friday. However, lawmakers are optimistic that a shutdown can be avoided, as bipartisan House and Senate leaders have come up with a plan to combine funding bills for various sectors, including Military Construction/Veterans Affairs, Transportation/Housing, Agriculture, Energy & Water, Commerce, Justice and Science programs, and Interior.
The House is expected to advance this package on Wednesday, with the Senate following suit on Thursday or Friday. While these bills only make up a portion of the total government funding, the real challenge lies in passing the remaining spending bills, which are due on March 22. House Speaker Mike Johnson has been adamant about not supporting any more temporary spending bills, as Congress has already approved four interim measures since last fall. However, the process of passing the remaining bills is expected to be even more difficult.
Despite Johnson’s stance, he found himself on the defensive when announcing the latest stopgap bill. Some Republicans expressed frustration at finding out about the bill through social media or other channels. Johnson referred to the bill as a “process CR,” which stands for “Continuing Resolution.” This emergency bill would renew all funding at current levels to avoid a shutdown. However, it raised eyebrows as the term “process CR” had not been used before.
The House voted to avert a shutdown on Thursday, with 320 members in favor and 99 against. Interestingly, more Democrats supported the plan than Republicans, highlighting the divide within the Republican-controlled House. Some Republicans argued that this was the best they could do with their slim majority, while others opposed the bill for various reasons, including its lack of new provisions and alignment with past spending priorities set by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Looking ahead, the challenge for Congress will be passing the remaining six spending bills, which include contentious areas such as Defense, Homeland Security, and Labor/Health and Human Services. Issues like border security and abortion could complicate the process. While there is hope that Congress will pass the bills this week, the real test will come later this month. The fate of House Speaker Mike Johnson’s leadership and the possibility of a government shutdown will depend on how lawmakers handle the next round of funding.
