House readies stopgap budget bill
One-week measure would stop shutdown during talks
WASHINGTON — Lawmakers are giving themselves more time to sort through their end-ofsession business on government spending and covid-19 relief, preparing a one-week stopgap spending bill that would prevent a shutdown this weekend.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said on Twitter that the temporary government funding bill is slated for a vote on Wednesday, when it is sure to easily pass. The development comes as Capitol Hill is struggling to figure out how to deliver long-delayed pandemic relief, including additional help for businesses hard hit by the pandemic, further unemployment benefits, funding to distribute covid-19 vaccines and funding demanded by Democrats for state and local governments.
Hoyer had previously told lawmakers that this week would probably be the last of the session, but talks are going more slowly than hoped on a $1.4 trillion omnibus spending bill under assembly by senior members of the powerful Appropriations committees. The stopgap measure would prevent a government shutdown through Dec. 18.
“I am disappointed that we have not yet reached agreement on government funding. The House will vote on Wednesday on a one-week [stopgap bill] to keep government open while negotiations continue,” Hoyer said.
Three main items of legislation are at issue in the end-of-session agenda: a defense policy bill that President Donald Trump is threatening to veto; the $1.4 trillion government wide spending bill; and perhaps $900 billion in long-sought covid-19 relief.
The most divisive issues in government spending talks concern funding for Trump’s border wall with Mexico and detention facilities run by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to aides briefed on talks. Democratic appropriators have said they are awaiting responses on a range of questions from their Republican counterparts.
If an agreement isn’t possible on the omnibus bill, lawmakers might have no option but to pass another continuing resolution that would keep the government running on autopilot and permit them to punt the unfinished spending bills into next year.
There are two sets of talks on covid-19 relief — on the leadership level and by a group of Senate moderates — occurring at the same time, and it’s unclear how the negotiators might sort themselves out, lending an air of confusion to the process.
The bipartisan group pursuing a stimulus package made progress in marathon negotiation sessions over the weekend conducted by phone and over Zoom. Their proposed compromise centers on providing hundreds of billions of dollars in three key areas — aid for the jobless; state and local funding; and a second round of small business relief — while also approving smaller amounts for other needs such as childcare, rental assistance, and education, among other issues.
The group is expected to propose funding federal supplemental unemployment benefits at $300 per week for tens of millions of unemployed Americans. Under the current compromise, those benefits would not be retroactive to cover months in the fall when no federal unemployment supplement was being paid. However, the new benefit would cover payments for the jobless for 16 weeks, according to two aides granted anonymity to discuss private negotiations.
The agreement would for a similar amount of time also expand the unemployment program for gig workers and independent contractors, and similarly extend base unemployment benefits. Aides cautioned negotiations have been in flux and no final agreement had been reached on the broader package.
White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said Monday that Trump is comfortable with a deal along the lines of one being put together by the bipartisan group. That $900 billion plan does not include direct payments sought by Trump before the election.