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Top Senate Republicans on Tuesday said another temporary government funding measure into March will be needed to avoid a shutdown this month, despite a deal on top-line spending figures between both parties.
The prospect raises questions about whether House Speaker Mike Johnson will have to go back on his word of no more short-term spending measures, as Congress stares down two fast-approaching funding cliff deadlines in January and February for different portions of the government.
“We have a topline agreement. In the meantime, we need to prevent a shutdown,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican. “The simplest things take a week in the Senate. Frequently, the House doesn’t understand how long it takes to get something through the Senate.”
Senate Minority Whip John Thune, South Dakota Republican, said Congress probably won’t pass the first four appropriations bills by a Jan. 19 funding deadline and the other eight by Feb. 2.
“The idea that we’re going to get those done in the next week, or even for that matter by Feb. 2 … I think it’s unrealistic,” he told reporters.
The March timeline for passing a budget, which is for the remainder of fiscal 2024 that runs through September, is likely unwelcome news for House Republicans.
Mr. Johnson, after ushering through a short-term spending bill in the fall, vowed in December that he was “done” with such stopgap measures known in Washington as continuing resolutions, or CRs.
Democrats and Republicans have a $1.6 trillion budget deal, but appropriators must now hammer out the details for 12 individual funding bills as conservatives on Mr. Johnson’s right flank stew over what they say is a failure by the new speaker to secure harsher cuts. The top-line spending levels honored a prior agreement between President Biden and Mr. Johnson’s predecessor, Kevin McCarthy.
“If you end up in a potential situation where you can’t get something transacted and then you’re in shutdown mode, that has never been beneficial,” Mr. Thune said. “[Republicans] have never seen any political or policy advantage or gain come out of a government shutdown.”
Mr. McConnell said it will be up to Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, and Mr. Johnson to determine the length of a stopgap funding bill.
Mr. Schumer declined to answer reporters’ questions about short-term legislation, saying the Senate will work to pass the full budget “as quickly as possible.”
Mr. Johnson said his focus was on passing the annual spending bills.
“We’ve got the pedal to the metal. We’re going to get the job done,” he told reporters.
• Alex Miller contributed to this report.
• Ramsey Touchberry can be reached at rtouchberry@washingtontimes.com.
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