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Congress has just hours to pass a funding measure or a continuing resolution by midnight tonight to avert a shutdown, and it must be signed by the president.
Yesterday, Senate leaders announced a bipartisan spending deal for the remainder of this fiscal year and 2019. The Senate must approve the agreement before it goes to the House, where it must also be voted on. If the House approves the measure, it goes to the president for his signature. It is possible that votes may be delayed until the early morning hours of Friday.
Should the measure not fully pass the Senate and the House by midnight, appropriations will lapse and the government will be shut down.
The Senate proposal would fund all federal agencies through March 23 at fiscal 2017 levels. For both fiscal years 2018 and 2019, the bill would provide relief from sequestration by raising the overall spending caps for defense and non-defense programs. Read more