WASHINGTON — As Congress returns this week for one last burst of activity before it wraps up the session, it faces a key deadline of Dec. 20 to avert a government shutdown.
Democrats and Republicans appear resigned to passing a continuing resolution, or CR, that would temporarily fund the government into early 2025 — most likely March — as they run out of time to strike a full funding deal this year. The two parties haven’t even agreed on an overall spending level for the new fiscal year, let alone how to allocate the money across parts of the government.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., referred to the inevitability of a short-term bill Monday, saying, “We need to keep divisive and unnecessary provisions out of any government funding extension, or else it will get harder to pass a CR in time.”
For Republicans, that is a double-edged sword.
The upside for Republicans in punting the deadline is that they would have more leverage to shape government funding in the new year, with President-elect Donald Trump returning to the White House and the GOP taking control of the Senate and maintaining a narrow House majority.
The big downside is it would create a critical deadline early in the Trump presidency, potentially taking valuable time away from confirming his nominees through the Senate and from the big party-line bill that Republicans are looking at to extend his tax cuts and advance his immigration and border security agenda.
Shutdowns were unconstitutional and yet government never faced real legal consequences.
That needs to change.
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) November 30, 2024
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