Congressional leaders agree on two-tiered funding deal to avert shutdown

Congressional leaders announced on Sunday, Jan. 14, that they have agreed on a short-term funding bill to avert a partial government shutdown later this week. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., unveiled the two-tiered continuing resolution to fund the government through March 1 and 8.

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Schumer said the Senate will begin moving the legislation through as soon as it reconvenes on Tuesday, Jan. 16.

“The bipartisan topline funding agreement reached ensures that America will be able to address many of the major challenges our country faces at home and abroad,” Schumer said in a statement. “I thank leaders from both sides, and particularly the members of the Appropriations Committee, for their commitment to keeping the government open and working for the American people.”

In his own statement, Johnson said the bill is required to complete what House Republicans are working hard to achieve. The deal comes a week after last weekend’s agreement that set the overall spending level at $1.59 trillion. Should the bill pass, it will mark the third short-term spending deal since September.

“After weeks of hard-fought negotiations, we achieved a strong top-line agreement that allows our appropriations committee and all those who work on this to complete the appropriations process,” Johnson said in a statement.

The current deal, which went into effect in September, funded some federal departments until Jan. 19 and others until Feb. 2. This latest funding bill would need to be agreed upon by both the House and Senate by Friday, Jan. 19, to avoid a shutdown.