US Congress reaches an agreement to partially fund the US government to avoid shutdown
The US Congress announced an agreement to guarantee funding for the federal government during the current fiscal year.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, who announced the agreement, said he hopes to make the text of the legislation available “as soon as possible,” a key step expected before votes in both the House and Senate.
Congress has until 11:59 pm on Friday to approve the deal, and members of both parties in the House and Senate must cooperate to avoid a partial government shutdown.
Johnson will likely need the support of a large number of Democrats to pass the legislation, especially with many on the right lobbying against it.
In the Democratic-controlled Senate, any member of the narrowly divided chamber could filibuster the process, which could force the federal government to miss the deadline.
Johnson announced that the House and Senate committees had begun drafting the text of the bill, so that it would be ready for consideration by the full House of Representatives and Senate as soon as possible.
Statements were issued by Senate leaders, Democrat Chuck Schumer and Republican Mitch McConnell, regarding the agreement, and President Joe Biden also welcomed the news in a special statement.
