WASHINGTON – House and Senate leaders have agreed on a short-term spending deal that would avert a government shutdown in the next few weeks, three sources familiar with the matter told NBC News.
The deal would fund the government through March, giving lawmakers more time to craft longer-term, agency-specific spending laws. after last weekend’s deal Setting the total spending level for fiscal year 2024 at $1.59 trillion.
The new deal moves the upcoming government funding deadlines for various departments from January 19 and February 2 to March 1 and 8.
The bill, known as a continuing resolution or “CR” for short, will need to pass both the House and Senate before 11:59 p.m. Friday to avoid a partial government shutdown.
Speaker Mike Johnson is set to meet with House Republicans at 8 p.m. Sunday to discuss spending talks. A few hard-right Republicans they protested to their superiors–line costs he previously cut a deal with Senate Democrats and urged Johnson to return to it, though he said Friday that the deal was not broken.
Johnson faced a push from the right, several moderate Democrats told NBC News They will be willing to vote to save the Louisiana Republican‘etc. oratory if there was a move to oust him. Last year, when a handful of House conservatives rebelled against their party’s then-leader, Democrats stepped aside and voted to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. Several of those rebels are now threatening Johnson’s job.
Meanwhile, Democrats in Congress have praised the top spending deal since it was announced last weekend, despite acknowledging that a short-term bill would be needed to buy more time for negotiations.
“The bipartisan high-stakes appropriations deal clears the way for Congress to act over the next few weeks to protect important fiscal priorities for the American people and avoid a government shutdown,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, both Democrats of New York. he said in a statement at the time.