Congress is scrambling to avert government shutdown
WASHINGTON – Congress is trying yet again to forestall a government shutdown — with a short-term funding measure through mid-January — and temporarily extend funding for health insurance for children of lowincome families.
The emerging plan puts off until next year tough decisions on a number of issues, including the reinstatement of government subsidies for health insurers providing coverage to low-income clients and protections for young immigrants brought into the United States illegally by their parents.
Lawmakers have until midnight Friday to pass a spending bill or the government will run out of money, triggering a partial shutdown heading into the Christmas holidays.
With time running out, the House is expected to vote Thursday on a spending bill that would fund most government programs at current levels through Jan. 19.
It was not immediately clear when the Senate would vote. But, “the Senate stands ready to take up an agreement as soon as one originates in the House,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in floor remarks Thursday morning.
In the House, Democrats were prepared to vote against the short-term spending measure because it does not include funding for their priorities, such as immigration and opioid addiction.
Conservative Republicans were angry because the bill did not include longterm funding for defense programs.
An earlier version of the bill would have provided $650 billion in defense funding through the end of September, but GOP leaders abandoned that idea after Democrats made it clear they would not go along unless a similar level of funding was made available for nondefense programs. Instead, Republicans opted to add $5 billion in emergency funding for some defense programs to the short-term bill.
In addition, the temporary spending measure provides $2.85 billion in funding for the popular Children’s Health Insurance Program through the end of March. The program provides routine checkups, immunizations and other medical services for nearly 9 million children whose parents don’t qualify for Medicaid and can’t afford insurance.
Congress failed to reauthorize the program when funding expired in September. Nearly two-thirds of states have warned they will run out of money for the program by March.