Lawmakers Reach Bipartisan, Bicameral Deal to Avoid Shutdown

WASHINGTON — The leaders in the House and Senate said Wednesday they believe they’ve reached a deal on a short-term budget extension that will prevent a government shutdown, despite opposition from some lawmakers that it contains too much.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., released the long-awaited text of the massive measure on Tuesday, saying his goal has been to draft “a very simple” stopgap funding bill, but that other forces, namely this past year’s hurricanes and other “acts of God” had required several large additions to the package.

In addition to $100 billion in emergency aid for hurricane and natural disaster recovery, the 1,500-page measure promises to cover 100% of the cost of replacing the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.

It also includes a one-year extension of the 2018 farm bill, $10 billion in economic assistance for farmers and an extension of the National Flood Insurance Program’s authorization.

There are also about 500 pages of health care provisions, including an extension of coverage of telehealth appointments for Medicare enrollees and a cap on earnings of companies that negotiate drug coverage by insurance.

The health care related measures also include provisions aimed at reining in the power of pharmaceutical benefit managers, and reauthorizations of legislation to prevent pandemics and address the opioid crisis. 

The continuing resolution also transfers a plot of land from the National Park Service to the District of Columbia, a move aimed at bringing the NFL’s Washington Commanders from Maryland back to the District of Columbia.

A number of members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus blasted the generosity of the measures, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., dismissed the package as effectively a budget omnibus bill in disguise.

But Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., the ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee said the bipartisan package will provide communities across the country “with critical relief, investing $100 billion to help Americans rebuild and recover.”

The bill has drawn praise from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who said he was pleased the negotiations over the temporary spending plan “led to a bipartisan government funding agreement free of cuts and poison pills, while also securing Democratic priorities like millions for child care, workforce training and job placement, assistance for the Key Bridge rebuild, additional disaster relief funding and more.

“I am particularly proud that this bill advances some of my key priorities including strong proposals to help the United States out-compete the Chinese Communist Party,” Schumer said. “This includes new restrictions on U.S. investment in the CCP’s development of critical technology like AI and chips, and a new Supply Chain Resilience initiative that will help alleviate supply chain disruptions and price spikes for consumers.

“Of course, this bill does not include everything that Democrats had pushed for — and will certainly keep fighting for — and some things we wouldn’t have added at all, but it does achieve a number of priorities for hardworking Americans and will keep the government open,” he added.

Now that the text of the continuing resolution has been released, both chambers must act quickly to pass it and avoid an embarrassing government shutdown ahead of the Christmas and New Year holidays.

Johnson said during a briefing with reporters on Tuesday that he wanted the measure passed under normal House procedures, meaning members would be given 72 hours to read it before any vote is taken.

That means the House won’t likely vote on the measure until Friday evening, sending it to the Senate for a crunchtime vote Friday night ahead of the midnight funding deadline. 

The bill would then have to be sent to President Joe Biden’s desk, something that will likely occur only minutes before the midnight deadline.

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