Congress headed toward short-term resolution to avoid government shutdown

Senators Schumer and McConnell have agreed to work together to pass a year-long omnibus spending package, ensuring the government is fully funded for all of next year. But they only have 10 days until the Dec. 16 deadline.

Members of Senate leadership said they have yet to agree on the overall price tag of the package. They are looking at a short-term resolution to keep the government running while they finish negotiations, possibly lasting a week. However, it’s possible a short-term agreement could ultimately continue into 2023.

“We hope it can be done this year. And each side is going to have to give in order to send an omnibus to the president’s desk and avert a pointless, painful government shutdown,” Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said.

Last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said it was possible Congress would have no choice but to pass a year-long continuing resolution which would keep government spending exactly as it currently stands. That is considered by many members of Congress, and the Pentagon, to be the worst case scenario aside from a shutdown.

Congress is also working to approve the National Defense Authorization Act which funds the military. Republicans are expressing frustration with the NDAA negotiations.

“I think job one is to try to get the NDAA approved without any extraneous matters included in it. We’ve done this for 60 straight years, and I don’t think this ought to be the first year that we don’t achieve passing an NDAA,” Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said.

Republicans said Democrats are trying to add measures that are unrelated to defense, including a bill to allow media companies to negotiate with social media platforms over fees for their content, and a bill to allow marijuana distributors to use the federal banking system.

“They are trying to throw unrelated liberal priorities onto the National Defense Authorization Act, literally holding our men and women in uniform hostage over their priorities,” Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said. 

The COVID-19 vaccine requirement for active duty troops remains a sticking point. The House agreed to remove the requirement, but Schumer said they are still working on it in the Senate. Schumer said he was befuddled about the issue because there are other vaccine requirements in the military that have been in place for decades.