12/15/2023

Another Government Shutdown Looms in January

Meanwhile, Congress eyes heading home for the holidays

With a federal financing deadline looming in the new year, time is running out yet again for Congress to avert a government shutdown as House Republicans attempt to renegotiate a months-old financing deal before leaving Washington for the holidays.

Money for crucial government programs, including some veterans' assistance and food and drug safety services, expires on Jan. 19, and money for the rest of the government runs out shortly after that, on Feb. 2. But lawmakers in both chambers of Congress have not yet agreed on how to pass full-year spending bills or more temporary funding. Without action by the first deadline, a partial government shutdown would begin when funding lapses.

Lawmakers and President Joe Biden in the spring reached a deal on how much the federal government would spend in the 2024 fiscal year, which began Oct. 1: $1.59 trillion. That agreement, the Fiscal Responsibility Act, or FRA, included an additional $69 billion in side agreements that were not written into the legislation to soften the blow of the spending caps. But House Republicans, led by Speaker Mike Johnson (La.), who was not part of that negotiation, said this week they would not abide by the agreement, attempting to jettison the side deal in budget negotiations.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Washington Post.