Congress Reaches Temporary Funding Agreement Through December

WASHINGTON – Congressional leaders have successfully forged a deal to extend government funding until December 20, a move that helps avert a looming government shutdown. This agreement was announced on Sunday, allowing Americans to continue accessing essential government services and avoiding a significant political misstep just weeks before the upcoming presidential election.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer remarked, “If both sides continue to work in good faith, I am hopeful that we can wrap up work on the CR this week, well before the September 30 deadline. The key to finishing our work this week will be bipartisan cooperation in both chambers.”

The House of Representatives is expected to vote on this funding extension, known as a continuing resolution or CR, on Wednesday. The Senate will follow suit shortly after, ensuring that the government remains funded and operational. The extension is anticipated to pass both houses of Congress and receive President Joe Biden’s signature.

However, the resolution only provides a temporary solution. Lawmakers will need to negotiate a more permanent funding agreement after the presidential election, setting the stage for another potential political confrontation in the final weeks of the current Congress and in the transition period to the new administration.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, introduced the plan in a letter to his colleagues. He acknowledged the precarious political environment that Congress must navigate in light of the upcoming election. “As history has taught and current polling affirms, shutting the government down less than 40 days from a fateful election would be an act of political malpractice,” Johnson wrote.

This deal between the Republican-led House and the Democratic-controlled Senate was reached after Johnson’s attempts to promote a six-month extension that included provisions requiring proof of citizenship for voting. This contentious proposal was not included in the final agreement.

Democrats have consistently argued that non-citizen voting is illegal and exceedingly rare. They raised concerns that implementing such proof requirements would create barriers for millions of Americans who might struggle to obtain their citizenship documents.

Former President Donald Trump had urged Republicans to allow a government shutdown if they could not pass the voting legislation, claiming that such measures could influence the results of the upcoming election. Nonetheless, experts noted that non-citizen voting incidents are extremely infrequent.

Schumer criticized the Republican leadership’s approach, stating, “While I am pleased bipartisan negotiations quickly led to a government funding agreement free of cuts and poison pills, this same agreement could have been done two weeks ago. Instead, Speaker Johnson chose to follow the MAGA way and wasted precious time.”

Though the deal sidesteps the controversial voting legislation, it does allocate $231 million in additional funding for the U.S. Secret Service. This funding comes in the wake of a July assassination attempt on Trump, as well as the recent arrest of a man found waiting near a Florida golf course where Trump was playing.

In the event of a government shutdown, federal employees deemed “nonessential” would be furloughed and would receive payment once the government reopens. “Essential” employees, responsible for maintaining critical government functions, would continue working and receive their pay.

Programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits, considered essential services, would persist, although accessing representatives for assistance during a shutdown may become more challenging. Other significant programs, including military veterans services and food assistance initiatives, would also remain operational.

Key segments of the federal workforce, including military personnel and federal law enforcement agencies like the FBI and DEA, would keep working. However, public access to national parks and monuments would be halted, and other essential services, such as passport and visa assistance, could be delayed. Child care programs, including Head Start, would face funding interruptions.

While TSA agents and air traffic controllers would continue their duties during a shutdown, reduced staffing levels might contribute to airline delays.

Source: USA TODAY