Crunch time will be coming sooner rather than later as lawmakers return to work in Washington on January 8, trying to avert a government shutdown.
“We have looming deadlines, and we all agreed on that,” House Speaker Mike Johnson remarked to reporters as he referenced previous agreements to keep certain programs running until at least January 19.
Those programs include military construction projects, and the operations of the Departments of Agriculture, Energy, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, and Veterans Affairs.
Beyond that, the vast majority of other government services and departments are funded only through February 2.
“But what we also agreed to was what’s written in the law, and that’s the Fiscal Responsibility Act numbers on top-line,” continued the Speaker.
That legislation, which passed Congress last summer and was signed into law by President Biden on June 3, saw a deal on increasing the debt-ceiling, while also capping federal spending.
As part of that deal between then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and the President, just under $1.60 trillion would be spent on the 2024 fiscal year budget, which began in October.
Included in those negotiations was an additional $69 billion in non-defense spending.
Johnson has promised to not pass another short-term extension but is expected instead to push for an extension that will cover the entirety of fiscal year 2024.
Even so, Congressional observers say it’s hard to imagine how Congress will be able to effectively tackle so many thorny budget issues in such a short period of time.
“Lawmakers are at a loss for how they will overcome those hurdles,” reports The Hill, noting that to date even though both the House and Senate have passed minimal appropriations bills, “little more progress on those fronts is expected before the deadlines.”
By Garry Boulard
