WASHINGTON – Congress is slated to vote Thursday on a short-term funding extension for the federal government and to avert a shutdown at midnight.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announced Wednesday evening that he’d reached agreement to consider the bill with a series of three amendments. The Senate has five roll call votes on the measure scheduled for 10:30 a.m. EST.
“We are ready to move forward,” Schumer said.
If the Senate approves it, the House would vote later in the day to send the measure to President Joe Biden. The House is also scheduled to vote on an infrastructure bill, which has splintered the Democratic Caucus as lawmakers negotiate a larger package of social welfare programs.
The short-term funding bill would keep the government operating until Dec. 3, to give lawmakers more time to approve funding for the fiscal year that starts Friday. The bill also provides $28.6 billion for disaster assistance and $6.3 billion for Afghan refugees.
Approval of the short-term spending bill is one of four thorny problems facing Congress in the next few weeks. The other challenges deal with the debt limit, infrastructure and a major package of social welfare programs.
Democrats had tried to approve the funding in combination with an increase in the country’s borrowing authority. But Senate Republicans blocked those moves, to force Democrats to raise the debt limit on their own.
Time is running out on the debt limit. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned Congress the country’s borrowing authority will be exhausted by Oct. 18.
House set to vote on bipartisan infrastructure bill
The House is scheduled to vote Thursday on one of the largest public works bills in history at $1.2 trillion, which includes $550 billion in new spending.
But debate on the popular bill has been held up because of negotiations over a $3.5 trillion package of President Joe Biden’s social welfare priorities.
The conflict is between moderate House Democrats who want a victory on infrastructure while negotiations continue on the larger package, and progressive Democrats, who want both bills to move in tandem.
In the narrowly divided House, if Republicans unify in opposing both bills, the loss of four Democrats could kill either bill.
A group of nine moderates negotiated for a Monday vote on the bill, which slipped to Thursday.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., repeated Wednesday that she wants both bills to move together. But she also said the vote would occur as planned. At the end of the day, she said she was taking things “one hour at a time.”
“The plan is to bring the bill to the floor,” Pelosi said.
But Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said dozens of progressives would oppose the infrastructure bill on its own. She said contentious remarks Wednesday from Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., would drive more opposition to the bill.
Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., have been negotiating to reduce the $3.5 trillion price tag on the larger package. Manchin issued a statement Wednesday that it would be “fiscal insanity” to approve that much spending while government programs such as Social Security and Medicare aren’t fully funded.
“That’s a shame,” Manchin said of a possible rejection of infrastructure. “That’s the best bill you got. It’s the most important thing we have.”
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