The Senate is expected to consider three appropriations bills on the floor next week, including Military Construction-VA, Agriculture and Transportation-HUD. The “minibus” package will be the first three of the 12 annual appropriations bills – all passed by the Appropriations Committee – to make it to the floor, with just a few weeks left in the fiscal year.

“This is a critical next step as we continue working collaboratively in the Senate to keep our government funded, find common ground and deliver for the people back home that we represent,” Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), the chamber’s top appropriators, said in a joint statement.

The House has passed only one of its bills, funding military construction and Veterans Affairs.

Lawmakers will need to pass a continuing resolution to avoid a partial government shutdown at the end of the month. One of the biggest obstacles to a CR agreement is the reluctance of some House Republicans to include the White House’s request for additional Ukraine aid as part of a stopgap spending package. The Ukraine aid has bipartisan support in the Senate.

AP photo by Manuel Balce Ceneta