Congress announces tentative government funding deal to avoid shutdown

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Congress announced a tentative framework for an omnibus spending bill late Tuesday evening, despite objections from House Republicans who want to pass one next year after the GOP controls the House.

Senate Appropriations Chairman Patrick Leahy and ranking Republican Richard Shelby, along with House Appropriations Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro, announced the framework on Tuesday evening. An omnibus spending bill approves funding for multiple departments rather setting them apart individually.

“We’re sorting out the details and we’ll continue to do that,” Ms DeLauro told The Independent.

But the statements did not include Republican ranking member Representative Kay Granger. Republicans want to pass a continuing resolution, also known as a CR, since they hope to pass an omnibus spending bill when they take control of the House of Representatives next month.

“The pain of inflation is real, and it is being felt across the federal government and by American families right now,” Mr Leahy said in a statement. “We cannot delay our work any further, and a two-month continuing resolution does not provide any relief.”

Earlier this week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that the Senate should expect to vote for a continuing resolution to keep the government open until next week in hopes of giving negotiators the opportunity to finish the framework for an omnibus spending bill.

“To avoid a shutdown this Friday, the Senate should be ready to pass a one-week CR by the end of this week, to give negotiators more time to finish an agreement by the holidays,” he said.

But some Republicans, even in the Senate, oppose the idea of an omnibus. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy criticised the fact that Mr Shelby and Mr Leahy, both of whom are retiring at the end of the year, were negotiating such a crucial bill.

“The Democrats have been in power. They've had the House, Senate and the presidency. They did not do their work,” he said at on Wednesday. Rather, Mr McCarthy said that he would prefer for there to be a short-term continuing resolution into the beginning of the year to allow for Republicans to write a spending bill.

“Allow the American people what they said a month ago to change Washington,” he said.

But Ms DeLauro dismissed Mr McCarthy and Republicans’ concerns.

“I guess they would like to see the government shutdown,” she said.