US Congressional Leaders Present Stopgap Bill to Prevent Shutdown

Facts

• Leaders within the US House and Senate on Sunday agreed on a bipartisan short-term spending bill intended to extend federal funding of various agencies and prevent a partial government shutdown this Friday.¹
• The extension, titled the Further Additional Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act 2024, would allow departments listed under: Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies; Energy and Water Development; Military, Veteran Affairs, and Related Agencies; as well as Transport, Housing and Urban Development to receive funding until March 1.²
• The bill would also allow departments listed under Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies; Defense; Financial Services and General Government; Homeland Security; Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies; Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies; Legislative Branch; as well as State and Foreign Operations, and Related Programs to receive funding until March 8.²
• Last week, the two chambers of Congress reached a $1.66T agreement that set federal spending in fiscal year 2024. Unless either a funding extension or Congress' appropriation bills pass this week, government departments financed by four appropriation bills will close Jan. 19, while all other departments could close Feb. 2.³
• Commenting on the agreement, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called the extension necessary and said the agreement allows the US to 'address many of the major challenges...at home and abroad.'⁴
• House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) during a Sunday conference call said the extension was 'required to complete what House Republicans are working hard to achieve.' Meanwhile, the GOP's House Freedom Caucus tweeted that the agreement is 'what surrender looks like.'⁵

Sources: ¹NPR Online News, ²United States Senate Committee on Appropriations, ³CBS, ⁴Twitter and ⁵POLITICO.

Narratives

• Democratic narrative, as provided by CNN. With a deadline looming, this agreement represents a reasonable compromise from both sides and should be met with little controversy — even if a stubborn section of conservative GOP members will stomp their feet and complain about any deal that doesn't align 100% with their hardline agenda. Johnson must withstand the pressure for the sake of the bipartisan majority.
• Republican narrative, as provided by New York Post. Although the House GOP isn’t united on everything, one matter it can coalesce around is the Biden administration’s failed border security policies. So Johnson has successfully negotiated spending cuts into this bill, but he still must get more concessions from the Democrats in order to satisfy the right flank of the party.

Predictions