The top Republican and Democrat in the U.S. Congress on Tuesday said they had reached a deal to keep the government funded through the rest of the fiscal year that began in October, setting off a race to pass it before a weekend shutdown deadline.
The last sticking point was funding for the Department of Homeland Security, as a surge in migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border has become a major issue in the election rematch between Democrat President Joe Biden and his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., revealed the agreement in a pair of statements on Tuesday morning.
The actual legislative text of the agreement, which must be finalized before lawmakers can vote on it, is still being completed. Current House rules require that lawmakers have three days to consider legislation before bringing it to the floor.
The package was expected to cover about three-quarters of discretionary government spending, due to come in at about $1.66 trillion for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30. It contains funding for functions including the U.S. military, transportation, housing and food safety.
But more fights lie ahead as the nation’s $34.5 trillion national debt continues to grow. Biden and House Republicans earlier this month laid out proposed budgets for the next fiscal year, which begins in October, that offered sharply contrasting priorities.
Click this link for the original source of this article.
Author: Dillon B
This content is courtesy of, and owned and copyrighted by, https://www.offthepress.com and its author. This content is made available by use of the public RSS feed offered by the host site and is used for educational purposes only. If you are the author or represent the host site and would like this content removed now and in the future, please contact USSANews.com using the email address in the Contact page found in the website menu.