The House approves a temporary agreement to prevent a catastrophic partial government shutdown.
The stopgap, also known as a continuing resolution, will mark Congress’s fourth funding extension since the initial deadline in September 2023. On this occasion, though, it seems like the legislature is moving closer to a long-term deal for the country. Get a better start to the day. Receive daily updates in your inbox with all the news you need.
The previous agreement, which would have provided a sizable amount of government financing, was a requirement for the extension that MPs passed on Thursday. The new continuing resolution now states that the funds will run out on March 8. The remaining amount is set to expire on March 22nd.
Congressmen announced the agreement in a joint statement on Wednesday, saying that “we are in agreement that Congress must work in a bipartisan manner to fund our government.”
Remember, however, that the details of a proposal to give federal agencies longer-term funding beyond the March deadlines are still pending. It’s possible that the text will not be revealed this weekend, despite House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, saying as much at a weekly news conference.
What government services are covered by the most recent budget agreement?
To provide long-term funding for the government, 12 separate spending measures must be passed by Congress.
On March 8, six bills that pertain to the following will expire:
- Food and Drug Administration, Rural Development, and Agriculture
- Justice, Commerce, and Science
- Development of Energy and Water Interior Military Construction and Veterans Affairs
- Urban Development, Housing, and Transportation
March 22 is when the last six expire. They are connected to:
- General Government Homeland Security, Defense Financial Services, and
Legislative Branch: Labor, Health and Human Services, Education; State and Foreign Operations - Even while it seems like Congress is getting closer to funding the government, the agreement on the crucial budget legislation was only disclosed by negotiators on Wednesday.
Furthermore, it is believed that the last six bills are far more contentious than the initial six. Congressman John Rutherford, R-Fla., a member of the House Appropriations Committee, stated he was “not very (confident) honestly” about lawmakers’ ability to fulfill the deadline of March 22.
House Republican leaders receive fury from conservatives once more.
Republicans in the lower house have come under fire from ultraconservative House members on multiple occasions for approving short-term budget extensions. Not unexpectedly, they repeated this in the run-up to Thursday’s vote.
Johnson blamed the House GOP’s internal strife for Republicans’ inability to win major conservative wins during a conference call with GOP members last week. He specifically mentioned hard-right lawmakers’ repeated attempts to obstruct proceedings on the House floor.
The ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus member Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, criticized Johnson’s negotiation strategy on Wednesday, telling reporters it “is crap.” It is an outright fabrication.
“The speaker must battle for the desired result if they want it. Roy responded, “Don’t go out there and say this nonsense that he can’t get it done.” Rep. Warren Davidson, a Republican from Ohio, expressed his disappointment in the leadership once more for putting up a stopgap for a vote.
“I’m disappointed that he hasn’t chosen to dig in and fund a government that will secure the border,” Davidson continued, reiterating the demands of his hard-right colleagues in Congress to resolve the southern border situation prior to approving government funding.
In order to force 1% expenditure cutbacks for the government overall, Roy and his conservative colleagues have pushed Johnson and the GOP leadership to approve a one-year budget plan. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have objected to the notion, and the measure has very little chance of passing the House or the Senate.
Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., is adamantly opposed to the automatic spending cutbacks that come with a full-year agreement because they will drastically reduce defense funding. “The same game plan” won’t be sufficient to “defend this country,” he declared on Thursday morning.
This brief expansion is one of the rare occasions the speaker has made a definite choice, in Johnson’s opinion. Because he has kept his cards close to his chest at crucial junctures, the Louisiana Republican’s speakership has occasionally been puzzling to ordinary GOP members.
“I believe that he is acting in the appropriate manner. Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., who has chastised Johnson, told reporters on Thursday that the goal is “to bank the wins that you can get with the power that you have.” “He is acting in accordance with the circumstances as they are. Seeking the best possible result within one’s circumstances is the essence of politics.
The speaker should be applauded for choosing a sensible line of action given the circumstances, he continued. “It’s a lot of drama to lead up to something that is inevitable.”