House Speaker Paul D. Ryan insisted Thursday that an ever-slipping deadline to fund the government and avert a Christmastime shutdown is the byproduct of attempts to “get it right” before a looming holiday break.
“We don’t want to rush legislation,” the Wisconsin Republican said at his weekly press conference.
Federal funding runs out Friday, so House Republicans had to file a short-term bill to extend that deadline to Wednesday, buying negotiators more time to hammer out a $1.1 trillion “omnibus” bill that funds agencies for one year.
Congress is also working on a parallel deal to extend certain tax breaks for businesses and families.
Mr. Ryan insisted there was no “trip wire” that set Republican and Democratic appropriators back in recent days, as everyone on Capitol Hill waits for a final product.
Lawmakers initially thought they would see text Monday.
“We’re trading offers, we’re talking to each other,” Mr. Ryan said, referring to the Dec. 11 cutoff as an “arbitrary deadline.”
At the same time, he signaled his intention to rally his conference behind a bill before the holiday break.
“Hopefully this is the last one of these we’ll do this year,” Mr. Ryan quipped at the outset of the briefing.
The White House has said President Obama will sign an extension that gives Congress an extra few days to strike a deal, but nothing beyond that.
At issue are certain policy add-ons, or “riders,” that are attached to the omnibus in an attempt to secure political victories as part of must-pass legislation.
Democrats said Republicans are pushing “poison pill” riders that place a partisan agenda above sound fiscal policy, attempting to roll back President Obama’s environmental agenda or freeze his plans to accept 10,000 more Syrian refugees.
Specifically, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called on Republicans to end a ban on federal research of gun violence, citing recent mass shootings.
Asked about the request, Mr. Ryan said he wouldn’t “negotiate through the media.”
Republicans, meanwhile, have blamed Democrats for pushing Congress to the budgetary brink by protecting Mr. Obama’s regulatory overreach.
Conservatives feel the GOP-controlled should extract policy wins as part of the bill, before they agree to new spending.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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