Congress votes to delay shutdown
Both chambers of Congress approved a short-term funding bill to temporarily avert a government shutdown, delaying the decision until Dec. 22.
WASHINGTON — House Republicans approved legislation Thursday to keep the government running - something they’ve rarely been able to do on their own. The Senate followed suit shortly thereafter, ensuring a weekend shutdown will be averted.
Most House Democrats refused to support the stopgap measure, which extends government operations through Dec. 22. In a 235-193 vote, only 12 House Democrats voted yes.
In the Senate, the vote was 81-14; all opposed were Democrats.
Typically, House GOP leaders, even when they hold the majority, have been unable to pass spending measures without significant support from Democrats. They face problems because Republican deficit hawks often refuse to vote for any legislation that adds to the debt without slashing spending elsewhere, while GOP defense hawks demand more money for the military.
The House Democrats’ move put pressure on House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., to assemble the votes from his own party.
Congress faced the possible shutdown threat because it failed to approve full government funding at the start of the fiscal year in October. Now another temporary measure will allow negotiations to continue.
Earlier Thursday, President Donald Trump invited Ryan, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, and the Senate leaders to the White House to begin outlining the contours of a broader deal to fund the government through fiscal 2018.
“We hope that we’re going to make some great progress for our country,” Trump said at the start of the meeting in the Oval Office.
But Congress faces a time crunch to reach agreement amid broad divisions. Thursday’s vote essentially punts the potential crisis to right before the Christmas weekend.
Republicans, who have the majority in both houses of Congress, are expected to offer another stopgap measure at that time that would keep the government running into January. Leaders hope by then they will have a deal through September.
“We hope we can come to an agreement,” Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, DN.Y., said at the White House. “Funding the government is extremely important. Helping our soldiers is very important and helping average citizens is very important. So we’re here in the spirit of ’Let’s get it done.’”