Democrats and Republicans Reach Deal to Try to Prevent Government Shutdown - The Wall Street Journal

WASHINGTON—Democrats and Republicans reached an agreement to extend government funding through Feb. 18, taking the first step toward avoiding a government shutdown this weekend.

With current funding set to lapse at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 4, lawmakers will now move to rapidly bring the legislation through the House and Senate. The House is expected to pass the bill on Thursday.

Quickly...

WASHINGTON—Democrats and Republicans reached an agreement to extend government funding through Feb. 18, taking the first step toward avoiding a government shutdown this weekend.

Quickly passing the legislation in the Senate may be more complicated, though. Some Senate Republicans have pushed to attach a measure to the bill barring the Biden administration from enacting rules requiring many employers to ensure their workers are vaccinated or tested weekly for Covid-19.

While that demand had initially raised the possibility of a drawn-out procedural process for the bill that could cause a brief shutdown, GOP lawmakers indicated Thursday that an amendment vote on the vaccine issue would likely clear the way to an accelerated process for the funding extension.

Republicans and Democrats had haggled over the duration of the spending patch, as Democrats sought a shorter extension and Republicans pushed for a longer one. Some Republicans see extending current funding, which was set under the Trump administration, as a way to prevent Democrats from setting new spending levels for federal programs.

Lawmakers will aim to agree to and pass new, full-year spending bills by the February deadline.

“While I wish it were earlier,” said House Appropriations Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro (D., Conn.) of the proposed deadline, “this agreement allows the appropriations process to move forward toward a final funding agreement which addresses the needs of the American people.”

The legislation includes $7 billion for assisting evacuees from Afghanistan.

Extending government funding is one of several issues Congress is hoping to address in the coming weeks, along with raising the debt ceiling and advancing an annual defense policy bill. Democrats are also trying to finalize their roughly $2 trillion education, healthcare and climate Build Back Better package before the end of the year.