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Congress is racing the clock to prevent another shutdown in two weeks when the current continuing resolution expires.
Lawmakers must reach a deal on the fiscal 2020 bills, pass another stop-gap measure or a combination of both. And whatever agreement Congress reaches, the president must sign before Dec. 20 to avoid a shutdown right before the holidays.
According to media reports, House Democratic leaders want all 12 spending bills be finalized before a floor vote to ensure that all agencies receive their necessary funding. Passing individual bills rather than an omnibus package is ideal, but may not be possible given the tight deadline.
While year-end spending deals are sometimes packaged into a single omnibus measure, the president has said he will not sign another omnibus bill, and congressional leaders are considering dividing the bills into two or more packages. President Trump reportedly said he would refuse to sign any funding bills without an agreement on Department of Homeland Security and border wall funding.
Another shutdown would be disastrous for federal employees and the country. NTEU continues to work closely with our allies on Capitol Hill to keep agencies open, provide a competitive pay raise for 2020 and protect federal employee collective bargaining rights.
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