Current:Home > Contact-usSchumer moving forward with temporary funding bill to avoid shutdown as spending talks continue-InfoLens
Schumer moving forward with temporary funding bill to avoid shutdown as spending talks continue
View Date:2024-12-23 14:08:24
Washington — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced on Thursday he plans to move forward with a short-term measure to keep the government funded as lawmakers work to pass full-year spending bills ahead of a deadline to avert a government shutdown.
"A shutdown is looming over us, starting on Jan. 19, about a week away," Schumer said on the Senate floor, referring to the first of two deadlines to extend government funding. "Unfortunately, it has become crystal clear that it will take more than a week to finish the appropriations process."
The New York Democrat acknowledged that both parties generally want to work together to pass appropriations bills based on top-line funding levels outlined in an agreement reached by congressional leaders over the weekend. However, growing conservative opposition to the agreement threatened its chances in the House, where several lawmakers said Thursday that House Speaker Mike Johnson should back out of the deal and push for spending cuts.
With deadlines fast approaching, Schumer announced that he is taking the first procedural step to tee up a temporary funding bill, known as a continuing resolution, to avert a shutdown at the end of next week. Some federal departments are funded through Jan. 19, while funding for others will expire on Feb. 2.
Schumer said members should be prepared to take the first procedural vote on the short-term measure on Tuesday. The timeline aims to give the chamber enough time to work with the House to avoid a lapse in government funding.
"The vast majority of us are all on the same page that a government shutdown would be a recipe for chaos," Schumer said.
But pointing to the House GOP's most conservative members, Schumer warned that some lawmakers "actually say a shutdown would be a good thing." He said they're trying to "bully the rest of Congress and the country to bend to their extremist views."
"Here is the incontrovertible truth: The White House is controlled by a Democrat, the Senate has a Democratic majority, and the Republican majority in the House is about as narrow as it can get," Schumer said. "So it takes compromise to get anything done in these conditions of divided government."
Whether the House follows suit on the stopgap measure remains to be seen. Though Johnson had previously pledged that he would not back any additional short-term funding measures after another shutdown threat late last year, he left the door open for a continuing resolution this week.
"I'm not ruling out anything, committing to anything, other than getting these appropriations done," Johnson said at a news conference on Wednesday. "And I think we can."
The decision threatens to be a politically perilous one for Johnson, who came into the role after the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy. For McCarthy, his decision to work across the aisle to approve a stopgap measure amid a revolt from the right angered a group of conservatives — and ultimately led to his removal.
Conservative opposition threatens spending agreement
Frustration with the deal between Johnson and Schumer quickly mounted among House conservatives, who were hoping for deep spending cuts. They took their opposition to the House floor on Wednesday, blocking a procedural vote to protest the agreement in a move that was relatively rare before conservatives began wielding it against McCarthy earlier this year.
Then on Thursday, several House conservatives exiting Johnson's office told reporters that there were discussions about revising the topline spending agreement reached days earlier and effectively reneging on Johnson's agreement with Schumer.
"We will have a good deal," Rep. Ralph Norman, South Carolina Republican, told reporters, saying that he also expects the House to adopt a continuing resolution.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, told reporters that "there's going to be a new deal drawn up."
"He doesn't have the support of the conference," Greene said of Johnson. "Unless he wants to work with Democrats and pass Democrat bills, then he needs to change."
Johnson told reporters that the discussions were still fluid and that he had not committed to revisiting talks with Schumer.
"We had a cross section of members in today, we'll continue having cross sections of members in and while those conversations are going on, I've made no commitments. So if you hear otherwise it's just simply not true," Johnson said. "We're looking forward to those conversations."
Ellis Kim and Jaala Brown contributed reporting.
Kaia HubbardKaia Hubbard is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital based in Washington, D.C.
veryGood! (8)
Related
- Stock market today: Asian shares meander, tracking Wall Street’s mixed finish as dollar surges
- Satellite photos show Tonga before and after huge undersea volcano eruption
- Teen Mom's Jenelle Evans Shares Family Photo After Regaining Custody of Son Jace
- Missing businessman's dismembered body found in freezer with chainsaw and hedge clippers, Thai police say
- Lunchables get early dismissal: Kraft Heinz pulls the iconic snack from school lunches
- Beijing Olympic organizers are touting a green Games. The reality is much different
- An unexpected item is blocking cities' climate change prep: obsolete rainfall records
- Can Skiing Survive Climate Change?
- Voters in Oakland oust Mayor Sheng Thao just 2 years into her term
- Raquel Leviss Had Very Upsetting Talk With Ariana Madix Before Tom Sandoval Affair Was Revealed
Ranking
- Martin Scorsese on the saints, faith in filmmaking and what his next movie might be
- After a rough year, new wildfire warnings have Boulder, Colo., on edge
- Elton John testifies for defense in Kevin Spacey's sexual assault trial
- Biden declares disaster in New Mexico wildfire zone
- Blake Snell free agent rumors: Best fits for two-time Cy Young winner
- Italian court sparks outrage in clearing man of sexual assault for quick grope of teen student
- Biden meets with Israel's Herzog, extends invite to Netanyahu amid tensions
- Here's Proof the Vanderpump Rules Cast Has Always Ruled Coachella
Recommendation
-
Eva Longoria Shares She and Her Family Have Moved Out of the United States
-
A sighting reveals extinction and climate change in a single image
-
27 hacked-up bodies discovered in Mexico near U.S. border after anonymous tip
-
A New Big Bang Theory Spinoff Is on the Way: All the Details
-
Cold case arrest: Florida man being held in decades-old Massachusetts double murder
-
RHONJ: Teresa Giudice's Involvement in Melissa Gorga Cheating Rumor Revealed
-
Céline Dion Releases New Music 4 Months After Announcing Health Diagnosis
-
Russia says Ukraine killed 2 in attack on key bridge linking Crimea with Russian mainland