Appropriators seem to have reached consensus that the next stopgap spending bill will run through Dec. 20, in hopes that an extra month will give them time to negotiate all 12 spending bills by the end of the year.
Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) and Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) – the chairs of their respective chambers’ appropriations committees – met Tuesday night to re-start negotiations. The meeting lasted about 30 minutes, CQ reported.
Lowey said appropriators will “get our work done” before the new deadline. Shelby said the committees’ staff members will “get serious on two or three” sticking points and then see if President Trump will sign on, according to CQ.
The White House’s top legislative liaison has said the President will sign another stopgap bill, but the President himself has refused to rule out a government shutdown.
The federal government is operating under a continuing resolution that expires Nov. 21.
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When Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell steps down from his Senate leadership role after the November elections, he’ll have at least two more years in the Senate. Now he’s signaled one of his priorities as a rank-and-file Senator is to increase defense funding,...
