US Congress agrees on stopgap bill to fund federal government into March
(VOVWORLD) - US media reported on Saturday that congressional leaders agreed on a stopgap spending bill to keep the federal government funded into March and avert a partial government shutdown starting late next week.
 The United States Capitol is the seat of the United States Congress, the legislative branch of the federal government. It is located on Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C. (Photo: VNA) |
According to Politico, CNN, and Punchbowl, congressional leaders have agreed on what is called a “continuing resolution” or “CR”, that would fund the government – extending two deadlines through 1 March and 8 March.
The agreement comes just before the 19 January first funding deadline for some federal agencies, such as the Department of Transportation. Other agencies, such as the defense department, have until 2 February.
Some lawmakers have said a short-term funding bill was needed to allow bipartisan negotiators from the House and Senate time to agree on full-year fiscal 2024 spending bills and for Congress to enact the legislation.
The top Democrat and Republican in Congress reached a 1.6 trillion USD deal on January 7 to fund the government through the current fiscal year, but if they fail to pass it by January 19, parts of the federal government would begin to shut down.