Government shutdown averted as Senate passes deal: Latest

The Senate has overwhelmingly passed a deal to avoid a government shutdown, a day after Democrats helped the deal pass he House of Representatives.

Earlier the House closed down until after Thanksgiving with no votes until 28 November after Speaker Mike Johnson failed to pass another spending bill following his enlisting of the Democrats to avoid a shutdown.

Texas Rep Chip Roy told CNN that going ahead with the spending bill without cuts and passing it under suspension of the rules with the help of members from across the aisle was “strike one and strike two” for the new speaker.

“The Swamp won and the speaker needs to know that,” Mr Roy told the network. “We’ll go figure out what’s next but I can tell you Republican voters are tired of promises to fight. We want to actually see change. And so you know, we’ll see what happens but, but our approach shouldn’t be assumed when they’re needed and then get rolled on a suspension.”

In total, 209 Democrats joined in to help fund the government, with the package passing 336 to 95, with 93 Republicans voting against.

Key points

• House passes GOP funding bill – averting government shutdown

• ‘Today is another example of why Congress shouldn’t be in session for 5 weeks straight'

• House votes to prevent a government shutdown as GOP Speaker Johnson relies on Democrats for help

• ‘A lot of those yes votes for weren’t very happy about it’

• ‘We can’t afford it shut the government down’

‘I think this whole idea of a two-part process is ridiculous, but at least we’re not shutting down government'

09:00 , Eric Garcia

Rep Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), the chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, told The Independent that she appreciated the fact that the bill did not include any spending cuts.

“I think this whole idea of a two-part process is ridiculous, but at least we’re not shutting down government and there’s no spending cuts and there’s no poison pills,” she said.

The legislation now goes to the Senate, where Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer expressed openness to the bill despite his criticisms. Mr Schumer said during his press conference on Tuesday that Mr Johnson agreed to the parameters that Mr Schumer requested.

“One, not making the heartbreak cuts that the MAGA right demands,” he told reporters. “And second, making sure that if they’re going to do this sort of goofy ladder, that defence is in the second part of the ladder, not the first.”

More House Democrats than Republicans vote to keep the government open

07:00 , Eric Garcia

More Democrats than Republicans voted in the US House of Representatives for a temporary stopgap spending bill to avert a government shutdown.

Some 209 Democrats voted for the bill while 127 Republicans voted for a “laddered” continuing resolution that would keep parts of the government funded until 19 January 2024 and other parts until 2 February 2024.

The vote is a win for newly-elected Speaker Mike Johnson, who proposed the two-tiered approach as a means to avoid passing an “omnibus” spending bill, but rather to pass 12 individual spending bills, a demand from right-wing members of the House Republican conference.

The vote came after House Democratic Leadership – including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Minority Whip Katherine Clark and House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar – announced their support for the legislation. Democratic leaders said they supported the legislation because it did not include any steep cuts.

“To that end, House Democrats have repeatedly articulated that any continuing resolution must be set at the fiscal year 2023 spending level, be devoid of harmful cuts and free of extreme right-wing policy riders,” they said in a joint statement. “The continuing resolution before the House today meets that criteria and we will support it.”

READ MORE

1% automatic cuts despised by all sides

05:00 , AP

The Republicans are left funding the government essentially on autopilot at the levels that were set in bipartisan fashion at the end of 2022, when Democrats had control of Congress but the two parties came together to agree on budget terms.

All that could change in the new year when 1% cuts across the board to all departments would be triggered if Congress failed to agree to new budget terms and pass the traditional appropriation bills to fund the government by springtime.

The 1% automatic cuts, which would take hold in April, are despised by all sides — Republicans say they are not enough, Democrats say they are too steep and many lawmakers prefer to boost defense funds. But they are part of the debt deal McCarthy and Biden struck earlier this year. The idea was to push Congress to do better.

The legislation also extends farm bill programs through September, the end of the current fiscal year. That addition was an important win for some farm-state lawmakers. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., for example, warned that without the extension, milk prices would have soared and hurt producers back in his home state.

“The farm bill extension was the biggest sweetener for me,” said Pocan.

04:56 , Phil Thomas

Senate passes temporary spending bill to avert government shutdown

04:55 , Phil Thomas

The US Senate overwhelmingly passed a stopgap spending bill to avert a government shutdown on Wednesday, teeing off major fights about spending bills in the coming year.

The continuing resolution passed with all but one Democrat supporting the bill while 10 Republicans opposed it. The House of Representatives passed the bill on Tuesday evening.

The legislation – pushed by newly-elected House Speaker Mike Johnson – would keep parts of the government open until 19 January 2024 while other parts would be open until 2 February 2024.

Eric Garcia has the full story: https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/government-shutdown-senate-spending-bill-b2448087.html

‘It’s nice to see us working together,’ McConnell says

04:00 , AP

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell called the House package “a solution” and said he expected it to pass Congress with bipartisan support.

“It’s nice to see us working together to avoid a government shutdown,” he said.

But McConnell, R-Ky., has noted that Congress still has work to do toward Biden’s request to provide U.S. military aid for Ukraine and Israel and for other needs. Senators are trying to devise a separate package to fund U.S. supplies for the overseas wars and to bolster border security, but it remains a work in progress.

If approved, passage of the continuing resolution would be a less-than-triumphant capstone to the House GOP’s first year in the majority. The Republicans have worked tirelessly to cut federal government spending only to find their own GOP colleagues unwilling to go along with the most conservative priorities. Two of the Republican bills collapsed last week as moderates revolted.

‘What’s the point in throwing out one speaker if nothing changes?'

03:00 , AP

Winning bipartisan approval of a continuing resolution is the same move that led McCarthy’s hard-right flank to oust him in October, days after the Sept. 30 vote to avert a federal shutdown. For now, Johnson appears to be benefiting from a political honeymoon in one of his first big tests on the job.

“Look, we’re going to trust the speaker’s move here,” said Rep. Drew Ferguson, R-Ga.

But Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., a McCarthy ally who opposed his ouster, said Johnson should be held to the same standard. “What’s the point in throwing out one speaker if nothing changes? The only way to make sure that real changes happen is make the red line stay the same for every speaker.”

The Senate, where Democrats have a slim majority, has signaled its willingness to accept Johnson’s package ahead of Friday’s deadline to fund the government.

GOP package met Democratic demands to keep funding at current levels

02:00 , AP

The opposition from hardline conservatives left Johnson with few other options than to skip what’s typically a party-only procedural vote, and rely on another process that requires a two-thirds tally with Democrats for passage.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats were willing to find common ground with Republicans “while pushing back against Republican extremism whenever necessary.”

In a statement with the other the top Democratic leaders, Jeffries pointed out that a federal shutdown “would hurt the economy, our national security and everyday Americans.” He had noted in a letter to colleagues that the GOP package met Democratic demands to keep funding at current levels without steep reductions or divisive Republican policy priorities.

‘It’s crap'

01:00 , AP

Johnson, who announced his endorsement Tuesday of Donald Trump as the Republican nominee for president, hit the airwaves to sell his approach and met privately Monday night with the conservative Freedom Caucus.

Johnson says the innovative approach would position House Republicans to “go into the fight” for deeper spending cuts in the new year, but many Republicans are skeptical there will be any better outcome in January.

Rep. Chip Roy, a Texas Republican who is part of the House Freedom Caucus, did not hold back on his opinion of the stopgap bill: “It’s crap.”

He said he would give “a little bit of room” to Johnson, who is three weeks into the job of speaker. But Roy threatened to seize control of the House floor if conservative demands for cuts are not met in the months ahead.

VIDEO: House approves plan to prevent government shutdown

00:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Hardline conservatives confronts speaker

Wednesday 15 November 2023 23:00 , AP

The new Republican leader faced the same political problem that led to McCarthy’s ouster — angry, frustrated, hard-right GOP lawmakers rejected his approach, demanded budget cuts and voted against the plan. Rather than the applause and handshakes that usually follow passage of a bill, several hardline conservatives animatedly confronted the speaker as they exited the chamber.

Without enough support from his Republican majority, Johnson had little choice but to rely on Democrats to ensure passage to keep the federal government running.

Johnson’s proposal puts forward a unique — critics say bizarre — two-part process that temporarily funds some federal agencies to Jan. 19 and others to Feb. 2. It’s a continuing resolution, or CR, that comes without any of the deep cuts conservatives have demanded all year. It also fails to include President Joe Biden’s request for nearly $106 billion for Ukraine, Israel, border security and other supplemental funds.

“We’re not surrendering,” Johnson assured after a closed-door meeting of House Republicans Tuesday morning, vowing he would not support another stopgap. “But you have to choose fights you can win.”

VOICES: Why Mike Johnson succeeded where Kevin McCarthy failed – for now

Wednesday 15 November 2023 22:30 , Eric Garcia

Amid all of the unrest, something interesting happened on Capitol Hill on Tuesday: The House of Representatives passed a government funding bill with no spending cuts.

More surprisingly, however, House conservatives did not revolt against Speaker Mike Johnson for doing the same thing that former speaker Kevin McCarthy did at the end of September, even though they hated the idea of a “clean” spending bill.

On top of that, even though Democrats think that Mr Johnson’s two-tiered spending bill is less than ideal, they are pretty satisfied with it and the Senate will likely take it up either Wednesday or Thursday.

“I think this whole idea of a two-part process is ridiculous, but at least we’re not shutting down government and there’s no spending cuts and there’s no poison pills,” Rep Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), the chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, told The Independent.

READ MORE

VIDEO: House passes bill to avert government shutdown

Wednesday 15 November 2023 22:00 , Gustaf Kilander

House votes to prevent a government shutdown as GOP Speaker Johnson relies on Democrats for help

Wednesday 15 November 2023 21:00 , AP

The House voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to prevent a government shutdown after new Republican Speaker Mike Johnson was forced to reach across the aisle to Democrats when hard-right conservatives revolted against his plan.

Johnson’s proposal to temporarily fund the government into the new year passed on a bipartisan 336-95 tally, but 93 Republicans voted against it. It was the first time the new speaker had to force vital legislation through the House, and he showed a willingness to leave his right-flank Republicans behind — the same political move that cost the last House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, his job just weeks ago.

For now, Johnson of Louisiana appeared on track for a better outcome. His approach, which the Senate is expected to approve by week’s end, effectively pushes a final showdown over government funding to the new year.

“Making sure that government stays in operation is a matter of conscience for all of us. We owe that to the American people,” Johnson said earlier Tuesday at a news conference at the Capitol.

‘A lot of those yes votes for weren’t very happy about it’

Wednesday 15 November 2023 20:00 , Eric Garcia

Rep Chip Roy (R-TX) told reporters he did not appreciate the way the bill passed.

“We should move at a bill that has overwhelming Republican support,” he said. “This had majority Republicans support but barely and I can promise you a lot of those yes votes for weren’t very happy about it.”

The bill now heads to the Senate, where Mr Schumer said it could have a quick passage.

VIDEO: House passes continuing resolution to prevent gov’t shutdown. What’s next?

Wednesday 15 November 2023 19:00 , Gustaf Kilander

GOP rep hints Nancy Mace has dirt on Kevin McCarthy after elbow saga

Wednesday 15 November 2023 18:30 , Kelly Rissman

The saga between Tim Burchett and Kevin McCarthy has rumbled on into its second day, with the TennesseeRepublican now suggesting that South Carolina congresswoman Nancy Mace has dirt on the former House Speaker.

Speaking on Newsmax on Wednesday, Mr Burchett said that Mr McCarthy “has $17m in an account,” before accusing him of plotting to use the cash to mess with “a lot of people like my and Nancy Mace’s campaigns, I’m sure”.

“I don’t know if he does that with Nancy Mace. She could come back with some stuff that he doesn’t want out there in the public, I think. If you know what I’m saying,” Newsmax co-host Rob Finnerty said.

Rep Burchett responded: “She’s already told me. She said, ‘I hope he does that with me.’ And she’ll take care of him.”

Ms Mace and Mr Burchett were among the eight Republicans who voted to oust Mr McCarthy as House speaker last month.

“Today I voted for the Motion to Vacate and remove the Speaker. This isn’t about left vs right. This isn’t about ideology. This is about trust and keeping your word. This is about making Congress do its job,” Ms Mace said in a statement at the time.

READ MORE

‘We can’t afford it shut the government down’

Wednesday 15 November 2023 18:00 , Eric Garcia

Many Republicans from swing districts and districts that voted for President Joe Biden voted for the legislation.

“Well, we can’t afford it shut the government down,” Rep Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ) told The Independent. “We need to pay our border patrol agents we need to keep our government running. We need more time.”

Rep Mike Lawler said that the passage showed Mr Johnson’s skill.

“Obviously, it’s an important step for him as speaker to be able to show that we can govern and that you know, when it comes time to do big things, like this, that he’s able to do it,” he said.

Many right-wing Republicans criticised the approach, but refrained from criticising Mr Johnson personally. Rep Ken Buck (R-CO), who voted with seven other Republicans to depose Kevin McCarthy as speaker, said Mr Johnson faced a different set of circumstances.

“What happened with Kevin was he knew that we weren’t on schedule with the appropriations bills,” he told The Independent. “Now, Johnson inherits that mess, and Johnson’s got to do something about it.”

VIDEO: Chip Roy lashes out at Speaker Johnson

Wednesday 15 November 2023 17:52 , Gustaf Kilander

‘I think it gets bumpy from here on out'

Wednesday 15 November 2023 17:29 , Gustaf Kilander

The bill set to fund the Departments of Justice and Commerce that was taken down by around 20 House Republicans and the Democrats on Wednesday faced opposition as it funds the FBI – an agency targeted by the GOP as they claim it has been politicized.

But Republicans also discussed blocking bills as a payback after Speaker Mike Johnson enlisted Democrats to pass a funding package without massive cuts to avert a shutdown, Politico notes.

As Democrats are not helping Mr Johnson on straightforward governing votes, he needs almost unanimous support from his party to begin debate on any legislation.

“I think it gets bumpy from here on out,” Rep Andy Ogles told the outlet. “Anything and everything is on the table.”

Rightwing Republicans join Democrats in taking down spending bill

Wednesday 15 November 2023 17:17 , Gustaf Kilander

Members of the House GOP took down their own party’s spending bill on Wednesday just a day after Speaker Mike Johnson enlisted hundreds of Democrats to pass a bill that will likely avert a shutdown ahead of the 17 November deadline pending senate passage and a signature from President Joe Biden.

The Republican leadership cancelled the rest of the votes for this week and sent the chamber home early ahead of Thanksgiving recess.

About 20 Republicans sided with the Democrats and voted against debating a funding bill for the Commerce and Justice departments.

Rightwingers said that voted against the measure after Mr Johnson looked to Democrats to help pass a short-term funding bill and opposition to amendments, according to Politico.

“We had concerns about the bill itself … in addition to concerns relative to what happened yesterday,” Rep Bob Good told the outlet.

House goes home for Thanksgiving as Johnson is one strike away from far-right action

Wednesday 15 November 2023 17:02 , Gustaf Kilander

The House of Representatives has closed down until after Thanksgiving with no votes until 28 November after Speaker Mike Johnson failed to pass another spending bill following the passage of a funding passage to likely avoid a shutdown with the help of the Democrats.

Texas Rep Chip Roy told CNN that going ahead with the spending bill without cuts and passing it under suspension with the help of hundreds of members from across the aisle was “strike one and strike two”.

“The Swamp won and the speaker needs to know that,” Mr Roy told the network. “We’ll go figure out what’s next but I can tell you Republican voters are tired of promises to fight. We want to actually see change. And so you know, we’ll see what happens but, but our approach shouldn’t be assumed when they’re needed and then get rolled on a suspension.”

The Texan told CNN’s Manu Raju that the third strike would be moving ahead with a border security measure that he doesn’t think is good enough alongside Ukraine aid.

VIDEO: Government shutdown likely averted

Wednesday 15 November 2023 17:00 , Gustaf Kilander

‘I think this whole idea of a two-part process is ridiculous, but at least we’re not shutting down government'

Wednesday 15 November 2023 16:00 , Eric Garcia

Rep Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), the chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, told The Independent that she appreciated the fact that the bill did not include any spending cuts.

“I think this whole idea of a two-part process is ridiculous, but at least we’re not shutting down government and there’s no spending cuts and there’s no poison pills,” she said.

The legislation now goes to the Senate, where Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer expressed openness to the bill despite his criticisms. Mr Schumer said during his press conference on Tuesday that Mr Johnson agreed to the parameters that Mr Schumer requested.

“One, not making the heartbreak cuts that the MAGA right demands,” he told reporters. “And second, making sure that if they’re going to do this sort of goofy ladder, that defence is in the second part of the ladder, not the first.”

Speaker Mike Johnson says Congress ‘addicted’ to deficit spending

Wednesday 15 November 2023 15:00 , Josh Marcus

The reason the US is in “such trouble” with federal debt is because Congress is “addicted” and “obsessed” with deficit spending, speaker Mike Johnson said on Tuesday, 14 November.

Speaking at the Capitol, the Republican said his recently passed “clean” spending bill is the best solution.

More House Democrats than Republicans vote to keep the government open

Wednesday 15 November 2023 14:00 , Eric Garcia

More Democrats than Republicans voted in the US House of Representatives for a temporary stopgap spending bill to avert a government shutdown.

Some 209 Democrats voted for the bill while 127 Republicans voted for a “laddered” continuing resolution that would keep parts of the government funded until 19 January 2024 and other parts until 2 February 2024.

The vote is a win for newly-elected Speaker Mike Johnson, who proposed the two-tiered approach as a means to avoid passing an “omnibus” spending bill, but rather to pass 12 individual spending bills, a demand from right-wing members of the House Republican conference.

The vote came after House Democratic Leadership – including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Minority Whip Katherine Clark and House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar – announced their support for the legislation. Democratic leaders said they supported the legislation because it did not include any steep cuts.

“To that end, House Democrats have repeatedly articulated that any continuing resolution must be set at the fiscal year 2023 spending level, be devoid of harmful cuts and free of extreme right-wing policy riders,” they said in a joint statement. “The continuing resolution before the House today meets that criteria and we will support it.”

READ MORE

George Santos campaign staffer pleads guilty to wire fraud

Wednesday 15 November 2023 13:00 , John Bowden

A former campaign staffer who helped George Santos get elected last year plead guilty to wire fraud on Tuesday.

Sam Miele, a 27-year-old GOP operative who worked as a fundraiser for Mr Santos in 2022, appeared in court and admitted to impersonating an aide to another member of Congress. News reports have indicated that he pretended to be working for former Speaker Kevin McCarthy when on the phone with potential donors soliciting contributions.

According to The New York Times, Mr Miele’s attorney declined to say on Tuesday whether his client had agreed to testify against his ex-boss for federal prosecutors. Mr Santos, a serial liar who spread falsehoods about massive portions of his background, has been charged separately by the Justice Department with a host of crimes including identity theft, misuse of public funds and money laundering. He has denied all guilt and vowed to fight those charges, while admitting to fabricating most of his resume.

READ MORE

Jimmy Kimmel renames Capitol live-stream ‘UFC-SPAN’ after GOP fights

Wednesday 15 November 2023 11:30 , Rachel Sharp

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel renamed the Capitol Hill livestream C-SPAN “UFC-SPAN” after a series of fights between members of the Republican party this week.

On Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Tuesday night, Mr Kimmel poked fun at a fight that broke out between Senator Markwayne Mullin and Sean O’Brien, the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, during a Senate Committee hearing earlier in the day.

In the dramatic moment, Mr Mullin – a former cage fighter – took to his feet to challenge Mr O’Brien to a physical fight.

Branding Mr O’Brien a “moron”, he challenged him to “stand your butt up”, to which the union leader replied “you stand your butt up”.

Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders, the chairman of the hearing, was forced to intervene and play peacemaker, yelling at Mr Mullin to sit down and banging his gavel several times.

Read the story here:

Jimmy Kimmel renames Capitol live-stream ‘UFC-SPAN’ after GOP fights

Marjorie Taylor Greene blasts GOP colleagues who voted against Mayorkas impeachment

Wednesday 15 November 2023 11:00 , Kelly Rissman

Marjorie Taylor Greene is not happy about the House’s vote to shelve her articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, specifically naming her GOP colleagues who voted against the articles in an email and in numerous tweets.

The Georgia Republican forced the impeachment vote on 13 November. Eight Republicans joined to support the Democrats’ motion — in a vote of 209-201 — to send the resolution to the Homeland Security Committee.

Ms Greene’s team sent an email blast, calling out her Republican colleagues who joined the Democrats “to KILL my Articles of Impeachment” by naming each of them: Reps Ken Buck, Darrell Issa, Tom McClintock, Patrick McHenry, John Duarte, Virginia Foxx, Cliff Bentz and Mike Turner.

She then took to X to livestream her gripes about the vote. Rep Greene said the vote sent her resolution back to committee, “where articles of impeachment go to die.”

“We’ve seen how bad it is at the border but we can’t get Republicans to impeach Secretary Mayorkas? This is outrageous,” she continued. Ms Greene also accused Mr Mayorkas of “willfully breaking our laws and allowing the invasion to happen.”

READ MORE

Congress needs nap and a bottle as if they were infants in a daycare centre

Wednesday 15 November 2023 09:00 , Josh Marcus

Most of the time, Congress works in staggered cycles and the House members can go home, talk to constituents, rest, cool their tempers, have a drink and then come back refreshed. But the inability of Congress to even pick a speaker meant they were stuck with each other longer than normal.

With the Thanksgiving holiday approaching and a deal on funding in the books, the best thing now might be to allow Congress to go home for a nap and a bottle as if they were infants in a daycare centre.

‘Today is another example of why Congress shouldn’t be in session for 5 weeks straight'

Wednesday 15 November 2023 07:00 , Eric Garcia

All this tension is the result of Congress being forced to deal with each other for weeks on end. Doug Andres, the press secretary for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (and one of the better accounts on X, formerly known as Twitter), said: “Today is another example of why Congress shouldn’t be in session for 5 weeks straight. Weird things happen.”

But that’s just the Senate. The House, which is generally more squirrelly than the staid club of 100 that is the US Senate, has been in session for 10 weeks. In that time, it went 22 days without a speaker, wherein Republicans cycled through three candidates before agreeing to make Mike Johnson speaker of the House. Democrats, for their part, have been fighting about Israel, with 22 of them joining a Republican censure of Rep Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), for using the phrase “from the River to the Sea” to talk about Palestine.

Meanwhile, Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) has taken to calling Rep Chip Roy (R-TX) Colonel Sanders, which is an Original Recipe for disaster.

‘You look like a Smurf'

Wednesday 15 November 2023 05:00 , Eric Garcia

During a hearing of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, Chairman James Comer and Rep Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), who frequently mocks the GOP’s attempts to impeach President Joe Biden with acerbic wit, had a testy exchange. At one point the chairman mocked Rep Dan Goldman (D-NY), as “Mr Trust Fund” for being the heir to the Levi’s fortune and said of Mr Moskowitz, “you look like a Smurf.”

Senate Republicans got the memo that it was fight club day

Wednesday 15 November 2023 04:00 , Eric Garcia

Senate Republicans got the memo that it was fight club day on the Hill.

Back in July, during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing, Sen Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), a former MMA fighter, had a testy exchange with Sean O’Brien, the head of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. During a HELP hearing on Tuesday, Mr Mullin read a tweet from Mr O’Brien challenging him to a fight “Anyplace. Anytime, cowboy.”

In turn, both men proceeded to stand up before Sen Bernie Sanders, the chairman of the committee, admonished both of them. When I asked Mr Sanders about the incident, he said simply, “Well, I know that you’re very interested in the important issues facing America.”

Mad love turns to bad blood in the House

Wednesday 15 November 2023 03:00 , Eric Garcia

Reps Tim Burchett and Kevin McCarthy have a tumultuous relationship. At the beginning of this year, Mr Burchett backed Mr McCarthy for speaker. And in the wee hours of 7 January, as a fight nearly broke out on the House floor, he told Rep Matt Gaetz (R-FL) to call off the dogs to allow Mr McCarthy to become speaker.

But to borrow from Taylor Swift, that mad love turned to bad blood in October after the House passed a clean stopgap spending bill without spending cuts. When Mr Burchett told reporters he would have to pray about whether to join Mr Gaetz in ejecting Mr McCarthy, the then-speaker reportedly mocked Mr Burchett, which pushed the gentleman from Tennessee over the limit and led to Mr Burchett voting to oust the speaker.

Judging by Tuesday’s exchange, the two will not reconcile anytime soon. And just to twist the knife a little bit more, Mr Gaetz announced he would file an ethics complaint against his former nemesis Mr McCarthy. Reminder, Mr Gaetz is still the subject of an ongoing Ethics Committee investigation himself.

Fights, shouting matches and chaos: Time to put Congress down for a nap

Wednesday 15 November 2023 02:00 , Eric Garcia

Congress is poised to finally avert a government shutdown before the holidays and buy itself some time for negotiations. But it will literally do so kicking and screaming.

On Tuesday, both chambers of Congress saw tensions run high, with members nearly coming to blows.

The tension began when, as Claudia Grisales of NPR reported, former House speaker Kevin McCarthy walked past Rep Tim Burchett (R-TN) and shoved him. That led to Mr Burchett, a normally mild-mannered Republican whose drawl resembles Huckleberry Hound, chasing the disgraced former speaker and then lunging at him before getting into an apparent scuffle.

That apparently led to Mr McCarthy denying that he elbowed Mr Burchett, and Mr Burchett saying, “You got no guts, you did so.”

READ MORE

‘It’s nice to see us working together to avoid a government shutdown'

Wednesday 15 November 2023 01:00 , AP

The Senate, where Democrats have a slim majority, has signaled its willingness to accept Johnson’s package ahead of Friday’s deadline to fund the government.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell called the House package “a solution” and said he expected it to pass Congress with bipartisan support.

“It’s nice to see us working together to avoid a government shutdown,” he said.

But McConnell, R-Ky., has noted that Congress still has work to do toward Biden’s request to provide U.S. military aid for Ukraine and Israel and for other needs. Senators are trying to devise a separate package to fund U.S. supplies for the overseas wars and to bolster border security, but it remains a work in progress.

If approved, passage of the continuing resolution would be a less-than-triumphant capstone to the House GOP’s first year in the majority. The Republicans have worked tirelessly to cut federal government spending only to find their own GOP colleagues are unwilling to go along with the most conservative priorities. Two of the Republican bills collapsed last week as moderates revolted.

Instead, the Republicans are left funding the government essentially on autopilot at the levels that were set in bipartisan fashion at the end of 2022, when Democrats had control of Congress but the two parties came together to agree on budget terms.

All that could change in the new year when 1% cuts across the board to all departments would be triggered if Congress failed to agree to new budget terms and pass the traditional appropriation bills to fund the government by springtime.

The 1% automatic cuts, which would take hold in April, are despised by all sides — Republicans say they are not enough, Democrats say they are too steep and many lawmakers prefer to boost defense funds. But they are part of the debt deal McCarthy and Biden struck earlier this year. The idea was to push Congress to do better.

‘Extreme MAGA Republicans have repeatedly demonstrated that they cannot govern without House Democrats'

Wednesday 15 November 2023 00:45 , Josh Marcus

Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said he remained concerned about the two-part approach. Veteran lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have called it cumbersome, unusual and unworkable.

Nevertheless, Jeffries in a letter to Democratic colleagues noted that the GOP package met the Democratic demands to keep funding at current levels without steep reductions or divisive Republican policy priorities.

“Extreme MAGA Republicans have repeatedly demonstrated that they cannot govern without House Democrats,” Jeffries said on NPR. “That will be the case this week in the context of avoiding a government shutdown.”

With the House narrowly divided, Johnson could not afford many defections from his Republicans, which is forcing him into the arms of Democrats.

Winning bipartisan approval of a continuing resolution is the same move that led McCarthy’s hard-right flank to oust him in October, days after the Sept. 30 vote to avert a federal shutdown. For now, Johnson appears to be benefiting from a political honeymoon in one of his first big tests on the job.

“Look, we’re going to trust the speaker’s move here,” said Rep. Drew Ferguson, R-Ga.

But Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., a McCarthy ally who opposed his ouster, said Johnson should be held to the same standard. “What’s the point in throwing out one speaker if nothing changes? The only way to make sure that real changes happen is make the red line stay the same for every speaker.”

Johnson compares spending negotiations to ‘drinking from Niagara Falls'

Wednesday 15 November 2023 00:15 , Josh Marcus

What’s it like being House Speaker at this contentious moment in US history? Well, sounds like there might be some more appealing jobs out there, at least according to Mike Johnson.

“I’ve been drinking from Niagara Falls for the last three weeks,” he told reporters on Tuesday of the recent spending bill. “This will allow everybody to go home for a couple of days for Thanksgiving, everybody cool off — members have been here for, as [House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.)] said, for 10 weeks, this place is a pressure cooker. And so I think everybody can go home, we can come back, reset, we’re gonna get our group together, we’re gonna map out that plan to fight for those principles.”

Schumer calls House bill a ‘good thing'

Wednesday 15 November 2023 00:00 , Josh Marcus

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer offered measured praise on Tuesday of the House’s recently passed spending bill to avoid a government shutdown.

“Both of us agreed, the White House and myself, that if this can avoid a shutdown, it will be a good thing,” he told The New York Times.

He added he hopes to see the House bill get a vote in the Senate “as soon as possible.”

Hakeem Jeffries on why Democrats backed the GOP spending bill

Tuesday 14 November 2023 23:41 , Josh Marcus

Congress was able to pass a temporary funding bill on Tuesday to temporarily avoid a government shutdown, with a large volume of Democrats helping Speaker Mike Johnson get the proposal over the finish line in the House.

“From the very beginning of the Congress, House Democrats have made clear that we will always put people over politics and try to find common ground with our Republican colleagues wherever possbile, while pushing back against Republican extremism whenever necessary,” Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement going into the vote.

“The continuing resolution before the House today meets that criteria and we will support it.”

Are Republicans already plotting revenge against Mike Johnson?

Tuesday 14 November 2023 23:36 , Josh Marcus

Kevin McCarthy lost his position as House Speaker not long after he helped pass a controversial government funding bill with partial Democratic support.

The GOP may be plotting a similar punishment for the new House Speaker, Mike Johnson, after he took the same tactic to avoid a government shut down.

Some in the Republican party are considering holding up future legislation in protest of the conciliatory strategy.

“There is a sentiment that if we can’t fight anything, then let’s just hold up everything,” Ralph Norman of South Carolina told Politico.

More House Democrats than Republicans vote to keep the government open

Tuesday 14 November 2023 23:00 , Josh Marcus

More Democrats than Republicans voted in the US House of Representatives for a temporary stopgap spending bill to avert a government shutdown.

Some 209 Democrats voted for the bill while 127 Republicans opposed the legislation for a “laddered” continuing resolution that would keep parts of the government funded until 19 January 2024 and other parts until 2 February 2024.

The vote is a win for newly-elected Speaker Mike Johnson, who proposed the two-tiered approach as a means to avoid passing an “omnibus” spending bill, but rather to pass 12 individual spending bills, a demand from right-wing members of the House Republican conference.

Eric Garcia has the full story from Washington for The Independent.

More House Democrats than Republicans vote to keep the government open

A ‘bizarre’ two-part process

Tuesday 14 November 2023 23:00 , AP

Under his proposal, Johnson is putting forward a unique — critics say bizarre — two-part process that temporarily funds some federal agencies to Jan. 19 and others to Feb. 2. It’s a continuing resolution, or CR, that comes without any of the deep cuts conservatives have demanded all year. It also fails to include President Joe Biden’s request for nearly $106 billion for Ukraine, Israel, border security and other supplemental funds.

Johnson says the innovative approach would position House Republicans to “go into the fight” for deeper spending cuts in the new year, but many Republicans are skeptical there will be any better outcome in January.

The House Freedom Caucus announced its opposition, ensuring dozens of votes against the plan.

“I think it’s a very big mistake,” said Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, a member of the hard-right group of lawmakers.

“It’s wrong,” said Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn.

It all left Johnson with few other options than to skip what’s typically a party-only procedural vote, and rely on another process that requires a two-thirds tally with Democrats for passage.

‘You have to choose fights you can win’

Tuesday 14 November 2023 22:00 , AP

The new Republican leader faces the same political problem that led to McCarthy’s ouster —angry, frustrated, hard-right GOP lawmakers rejecting his approach, demanding budget cuts and determined to vote against the plan. Without enough support from his Republican majority, Johnson had little choice but to rely on Democrats to ensure passage to keep the federal government running.

“We’re not surrendering,” Johnson assured after a closed-door meeting of House Republicans, vowing he would not support another stopgap. “But you have to choose fights you can win.”

Johnson, who announced his endorsement Tuesday of Donald Trump as the Republican nominee for president, hit the airwaves to sell his approach and met privately Monday night with the conservative Freedom Caucus.

House prepares for vote to prevent government shutdown

Tuesday 14 November 2023 21:30 , AP

The House prepared on Tuesday for a vote to prevent a government shutdown, with new Republican Speaker Mike Johnson forced to reach across the aisle to Democrats when hard-right conservatives revolted against his plan.

To keep the federal government running into the new year, Johnson was willing to leave his right-flank Republicans behind and work with Democrats — the same political move that cost the last House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, his job just weeks ago.

This time, Johnson of Louisiana appeared on track for a temporarily better outcome as some Republicans showed signs of unrest but stopped short of threatening to remove the speaker, who has been on the job for just three weeks. The Senate would act next, ahead of Friday’s shutdown deadline.

“Making sure that government stays in operation is a matter of conscience for all of us. We owe that to the American people,” Johnson said at a news conference at the Capitol.

VIDEO: James Comer throws ‘smurf’ insult at Rep. Moskowitz in heated House hearing argument

Tuesday 14 November 2023 21:00 , The Independent

VIDEO: House to vote on preventing government shutdown amid GOP infighting

Tuesday 14 November 2023 20:30 , Gustaf Kilander

VIDEO: Speaker Mike Johnson says Congress 'addicted' to deficit spending

Tuesday 14 November 2023 20:00 , The Independent

‘You can’t assume my vote on any bill,’ Chip Roy says

Tuesday 14 November 2023 19:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Rep Chip Roy appeared on Fox, saying, “you can’t assume my vote on any bill, if the speaker is going to roll us”.

“I don’t like playing the ultimatum game, I will simply say that. I don’t want anybody to try to sell me something and call it border security if it’s not,” he added.

GOP rep claims Kevin McCarthy physically shoved him amid shutdown spat

Tuesday 14 November 2023 19:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy is reported to have shoved one of the members who voted to oust him in the halls of Congress.

Mr McCarthy was seen by reporters elbowing Rep Tim Burchett, who told CNN that it was a “clean shot to the kidneys”.

Claudia Grisales of NPR was speaking to Mr Burchett at the time on Tuesday, writing on X that she had “never seen this on Capitol Hill”.

“While talking to @RepTimBurchett after the GOP conference meeting, former @SpeakerMcCarthy walked by with his detail and McCarthy shoved Burchett. Burchett lunged towards me. I thought it was a joke, it was not. And a chase ensued,” she wrote.

A spokesperson for Mr Burchett told The Independent: “I don’t have any official comments on the incident from the Congressman, but I do not have anything in that tweet that I wish to correct.”

READ MORE

No ‘poison pill’ policies found in two-step funding plan

Tuesday 14 November 2023 18:30 , Gustaf Kilander

The lack of spending cuts in the proposed two-step funding plan is the reason why it’s likely to attract bipartisan support even as rightwing Republicans vote against it.

Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries said no “poison pill” policies have been found in the legislation that would prevent Democrats from backing it, adding that there are concerns about the two-step plans implementation.

“We continue to express concerns with the bifurcated deadlines that seem to be somewhat unprecedented,” he said, according to The Messenger.

‘It will take substantial Democratic votes to get it passed, but it will pass'

Tuesday 14 November 2023 18:00 , Gustaf Kilander

The two-part funding bill looks set to pass the House with substantial Democratic support amidst divisions among the Republicans.

“It will take substantial Democratic votes to get it passed, but it will pass,” Rep Kevin Hern said on Tuesday, according to The Messenger. Mr Hern is set to vote against the bill.

VIDEO: Congress to vote on funding the government

Tuesday 14 November 2023 17:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Republicans are left funding the government on autopilot

Tuesday 14 November 2023 17:00 , AP

If approved, passage of another continuing resolution would be a stunning capstone to the House GOP’s first year in the majority. The Republicans have worked tirelessly to cut federal government spending only to find their own GOP colleagues are unwilling to go along with the most conservative priorities. Two of the Republican bills collapsed last week as moderates revolted.

Instead, the Republicans are left funding the government essentially on autopilot at the levels that were set in bipartisan fashion at the end of 2022, when Democrats had control of Congress but two parties came together to agree on budget terms.

All that could change in the new year when 1% cuts across the board to all departments would be triggered if Congress fails to agree to new budget terms and pass the traditional appropriation bills to fund the government by springtime.

The 1% automatic cuts, which would take hold in April, are despised by all sides — Republicans say they are not enough, Democrats say they are too steep and many lawmakers prefer to boost defense funds. But they are part of the debt deal McCarthy and Biden struck earlier this year. The idea was to push Congress to do better.

Johnson cannot afford many defections from Republicans

Tuesday 14 November 2023 16:28 , AP

With the House narrowly divided, Johnson cannot afford many defections from Republicans, which is forcing him into the arms of Democrats.

Winning bipartisan approval of a continuing resolution is the same move that led McCarthy’s hard-right flank to oust him in October, days after the Sept. 30 vote to avert a federal shutdown. For now, Johnson appears to be benefiting from a political honeymoon in one of his first big tests on the job.

“Look, we’re going to trust the speaker’s move here,” said Rep. Drew Ferguson, R-Ga.

The Senate, where Democrats have a slim majority, has also signaled its willingness to accept Johnson’s package ahead of Friday’s deadline to fund the government.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said the House GOP package “will keep the lights on,” and he will support it.

But McConnell, R-Ky., noted that Congress still has work to do toward Biden’s request to provide U.S. military aid for Ukraine, Israel and other needs. Senators are trying to devise a separate package to fund U.S. supplies for the overseas wars and bolster border security, but it remains a work in progress.

‘You have to be wise about the fights you choose,’ speaker says

Tuesday 14 November 2023 16:00 , Gustaf Kilander

House Speaker Mike Johnson held a press conference on Tuesday morning as the chamber prepares to vote on avoiding a government shutdown.

“We’re not surrendering, we’re fighting. But you have to be wise about the fights you choose,” the speaker told ABC News.

“I’ve been at the job less than three weeks, right?” Mr Johnson said. “I can’t turn an aircraft carrier overnight.”

VIDEO: What are the chances of a government shutdown?

Tuesday 14 November 2023 15:45 , Gustaf Kilander

‘We will not accept any extreme right-wing policy provisions,’ Jeffries says

Tuesday 14 November 2023 15:30 , AP

Under his proposal, Speaker Mike Johnson is putting forward a unique — critics say bizarre — two-part process that temporarily funds some federal agencies to Jan. 19 and others to Feb. 2. It’s a continuing resolution, or CR, that comes without any of the deep cuts conservatives are demanding. It also fails to include President Joe Biden’s request for nearly $106 billion for Ukraine, Israel, border security and other supplemental funds.

“I think it’s a very big mistake,” said Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, a member of the hard-right Freedom Caucus.

Roy said there’s “a whole lot of opposition” among House Republicans to partnering with Democrats to pass the bill.

The Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said his party is “carefully evaluating” the proposal from the Republican leadership before giving approval.

“We remain concerned,” he said about the two-part approach. Veteran lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have called it cumbersome, unusual and unworkable.

But Jeffries in a letter to Democratic colleagues noted that the GOP package met the Democratic demands to keep funding at current levels without steep reductions or divisive Republican policy priorities.

“We have articulated that we will not accept any extreme right-wing policy provisions in connection with funding the government,” Jeffries wrote.

Live: Mike Johnson and GOP officials speak ahead of government shutdown vote

Tuesday 14 November 2023 15:29 , The Independent

New speaker seems to be on track for better outcome to avoid shutdown

Tuesday 14 November 2023 15:15 , AP

The last time Congress tried to fund the government to prevent a federal shutdown, it cost House Speaker Kevin McCarthy his job.

This time, new Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., appears on track for a better outcome Tuesday as the House prepares to vote on a stopgap package to keep the government running into the new year. If approved, the Senate would act next, ahead of Friday’s shutdown deadline.

The new Republican leader faces the same political problem that led to McCarthy’s ouster, and is unlikely to win enough support from his Republican majority to pass the bill on its own. Instead, Johnson will be forced to rely on Democrats to ensure passage to keep the federal government running.

Johnson has called it a “necessary bill” that he hoped would put House Republicans “in the best position to fight” for their conservative priorities in the new year.

Speaker’s funding plan likely to need Democratic backing

Tuesday 14 November 2023 14:00 , Gustaf Kilander

The speaker’s funding plan will likely need Democratic support amidst opposition from five House Republicans.

The spending bill’s lack of cuts is dividing the House GOP with at least five members having shared their opposition as of Monday morning – Reps Chip Roy, Warren Davidson, Bob Good, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and George Santos.

The Republicans can only lose four votes to pass a bill without Democratic support.

“My opposition to the clean CR just announced by the Speaker to the @HouseGOP cannot be overstated,” Mr Roy wrote on X. “Funding Pelosi level spending & policies for 75 days - for future ‘promises.’”

“I am opposed to the CR that has been proposed, because it contains no spending reductions, no border security, & no policy wins for the American people. I am committed to working with Speaker Johnson & my House colleagues to chart a better path forward for our country,” Mr Good said.

But including cuts rightwing Republicans want would make the spending bill dead on arrival in the Democratic Senate and White House.

Texas rep says funding bill provides ‘Pelosi level spending & policies for 75 days'

Tuesday 14 November 2023 12:00 , AP

“My opposition to the clean CR just announced by the Speaker to the @HouseGOP cannot be overstated,” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, tweeted on X. “Funding Pelosi level spending & policies for 75 days - for future ‘promises.’”

The White House, meanwhile, panned the plan as “unserious,” unworkable and a threat to national security and domestic programs.

“This proposal is just a recipe for more Republican chaos and more shutdowns—full stop,” said press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, pointing to opposition from members of both parties. “House Republicans need to stop wasting time on their own political divisions, do their jobs, and work in a bipartisan way to prevent a shutdown.”

VIDEO: Government shutdown deadline nears once again

Tuesday 14 November 2023 10:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Bill excludes funding requested by Biden for Israel, Ukraine, and US border

Tuesday 14 November 2023 08:00 , AP

The bill excludes funding requested by President Joe Biden for Israel, Ukraine and the U.S. border with Mexico. Johnson said separating Biden’s request for an emergency supplemental bill from the temporary, stopgap measure “places our conference in the best position to fight for fiscal responsibility, oversight over Ukraine aid, and meaningful policy changes at our Southern border.”

Hardline conservatives, usually loathe to support temporary spending measures of any sort, had indicated they would give Johnson some leeway to pass legislation, known as a continuing resolution, or CR, to give Congress more time to negotiate a long-term agreement.

Republican admits Johnson’s plan is similar to ‘what got Kevin McCarthy in trouble'

Tuesday 14 November 2023 06:00 , Gustaf Kilander

GOP Rep Carlos Giménez said on Fox Business that Speaker Johnson’s government funding plan is similar to “what got Kevin McCarthy in trouble”.

“I think you’ll get some Democrat votes ... You’ll get some Republicans not to vote for it,” he said.

Republicans ‘have no earthly idea what they are doing,’ ex-GOP staffer says

Tuesday 14 November 2023 04:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Kurt Bardella, a former Republican Capitol Hill staffer who’s now a Democratic strategist, wrote on X on Monday that “Republicans in Congress seem determined to remind the American people every single day that they have no earthly idea what they are doing.

“@SpeakerJohnson is in over his head. The result will be yet another government shutdown courtesy of the GOP,” he added.

GOP ‘cannot negotiate with itself- and its leaders refuse to negotiate with anybody else'

Tuesday 14 November 2023 02:00 , Gustaf Kilander

David Frum, a former speechwriter for President George W Bush, wrote on X on Monday: “With two US carrier groups poised for action to deter Iran, we are 4 days from a US government shutdown because the majority in the US House of Representatives cannot negotiate with itself- and its leaders refuse to negotiate with anybody else.”

McCarthy booted after previous continuing resolution passage

Tuesday 14 November 2023 00:00 , AP

The federal government is operating under funding levels approved last year by a Democratic-led House and Senate. Facing a government shutdown when the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, Congress passed a 47-day continuing resolution, but the fallout was severe. Kevin McCarthy was booted from the speakership days later, and the House was effectively paralyzed for most of the month while Republicans tried to elect a replacement.

Republicans eventually were unanimous in electing Johnson speaker, but his elevation has hardly eased the dynamic that led to McCarthy’s removal — a conference torn on policy as well as how much to spend on federal programs. This past week, Republicans had to pull two spending bills from the floor — one to fund transportation and housing programs and the other to fund the Treasury Department, Small Business Administration and other agencies — because they didn’t have the votes in their own party to push them through the House.

Speaker’s funding plan likely to need Democratic backing

Monday 13 November 2023 22:00 , Gustaf Kilander

The speaker’s funding plan will likely need Democratic support amidst opposition from five House Republicans.

The spending bill’s lack of cuts is dividing the House GOP with at least five members having shared their opposition as of Monday morning – Reps Chip Roy, Warren Davidson, Bob Good, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and George Santos.

The Republicans can only lose four votes to pass a bill without Democratic support.

“My opposition to the clean CR just announced by the Speaker to the @HouseGOP cannot be overstated,” Mr Roy wrote on X. “Funding Pelosi level spending & policies for 75 days - for future ‘promises.’”

“I am opposed to the CR that has been proposed, because it contains no spending reductions, no border security, & no policy wins for the American people. I am committed to working with Speaker Johnson & my House colleagues to chart a better path forward for our country,” Mr Good said.

But including cuts rightwing Republicans want would make the spending bill dead on arrival in the Democratic Senate and White House.

Texas rep says funding bill provides ‘Pelosi level spending & policies for 75 days'

Monday 13 November 2023 20:00 , AP

“My opposition to the clean CR just announced by the Speaker to the @HouseGOP cannot be overstated,” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, tweeted on X. “Funding Pelosi level spending & policies for 75 days - for future ‘promises.’”

The White House, meanwhile, panned the plan as “unserious,” unworkable and a threat to national security and domestic programs.

“This proposal is just a recipe for more Republican chaos and more shutdowns—full stop,” said press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, pointing to opposition from members of both parties. “House Republicans need to stop wasting time on their own political divisions, do their jobs, and work in a bipartisan way to prevent a shutdown.”

VIDEO: Government shutdown deadline nears once again

Monday 13 November 2023 18:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Bill excludes funding requested by Biden for Israel, Ukraine, and US border

Monday 13 November 2023 16:27 , AP

The bill excludes funding requested by President Joe Biden for Israel, Ukraine and the U.S. border with Mexico. Johnson said separating Biden’s request for an emergency supplemental bill from the temporary, stopgap measure “places our conference in the best position to fight for fiscal responsibility, oversight over Ukraine aid, and meaningful policy changes at our Southern border.”

Hardline conservatives, usually loathe to support temporary spending measures of any sort, had indicated they would give Johnson some leeway to pass legislation, known as a continuing resolution, or CR, to give Congress more time to negotiate a long-term agreement.