Leaders and top appropriators from the House and Senate plan to meet as early as today to talk about whether Congress can pass an omnibus spending bill.
“We each laid out our criteria for the omnibus. Obviously, they’re different,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Tuesday after leaders of both parties met with President Biden at the White House, as Roll Call reported.
Negotiators have not yet agreed on top-line spending figures, which means there’s a lot of work to do before current government spending runs out Dec. 16. Lawmakers could pass a one-week continuing resolution to buy more time.
But House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who is running to be the next speaker, suggested a CR that pushes current levels into January.
“CRs are not where we want to be, but if we cannot get our work done now, the outgoing majority, if they don’t want to work with us, we can get this work done in January as well,” McCarthy said.
AP photo by Andrew Harnik