Congressional leaders returned to their home districts for the holidays without finding a solution to avert a looming government shutdown. Lawmakers must come to an agreement to fund the federal government by January 30, 2024. However, Senate leaders have deferred negotiations until the new year, with little progress made on nine separate funding bills.
“We wasted a lot of time because the Senate’s not negotiating yet,” stated Tom Cole (R-OK), Chair of the House Appropriations Committee. Cole emphasized that negotiations could accelerate once the Senate is prepared to engage. Over the weekend, Cole and Senate counterpart Susan Collins (R-ME) did reach an agreement on overall spending totals after a month of discussions. Despite this, negotiations on the details remain stalled, leading to growing concerns about the possibility of another shutdown.
According to a report from Politico, frustrations are mounting among Democrats. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), the House’s leading Democratic appropriator, remarked, “They wasted all that time during the summer. Democrats are prepared. We’re ready to move. Let’s go.”
The specifics of the Republican appropriations totals have not been disclosed. Cole indicated that the agreement would maintain overall funding below the levels set in the previous stopgap funding measure, aimed at satisfying House budget conservatives who prefer to keep agency funding flat. Chip Roy (R-TX) voiced his stance, stating, “I don’t want any spending higher than current-level spending. If they’re busting the current levels, then they’re going to have to demonstrate to me why.”
The push for stringent funding levels poses potential challenges for Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republican leaders. House hardliners could create friction if their demands are not incorporated into the funding bills. Mark Amodei (R-NV), who chairs the Homeland Security spending panel, noted that while some Republicans are openly discussing the possibility of another shutdown, others believe Congress will likely maintain current funding levels for the nine pending bills.
Amodei warned that internal tensions could escalate. “You can expect the smoke to start coming up from over that hill and that hill and that hill,” he said, adding, “and there might even be some open flame.”
Despite Johnson’s intent to pass the funding bills before the end of January, skepticism remains among Republicans regarding the likelihood of a smooth resolution. One House Republican candidly stated, “I wouldn’t bet on that on Polymarket.”
As Congress heads into the new year, the urgency to finalize funding arrangements intensifies, with the clock ticking toward a potential government shutdown.
