The government shutdown deadline is a little over a week away. Republican congressional leadership hopes to buy time until next year, when the Senate and White House also come under GOP control, creating a trifecta with the House, which maintained its Republican majority.
The leadership argues they could broker a better deal with President-elect Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., instead of playing defense against President Joe Biden and Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. However, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., did not reveal where the talks stand during a press conference on Tuesday.
Both sides of the aisle want to avoid a shutdown, and will most likely pass a stopgap bill through March, but the negotiations over the details are still ongoing.
Punchbowl News reported that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., could have some leverage during these talks, which would be his final chance at pushing forward Democratic priorities while his party still has power in Congress.
Democrats hope to fulfill the White House’s request for $100 billion in aid to help communities impacted by disasters. This includes the damage caused by hurricanes Helene and Milton, wildfires on Maui, tornadoes in the Midwest and the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore, as Roll Call reported. But they may agree to pass a “clean” CR, without any attached funding requests.
Johnson indicated Republicans are working on their “well-designed” playbook for the first 100 days in Congress.
“What we’re deciding right now is the sequence of how we run those plays,” the speaker said during the press conference. They want to focus on immigrants and the economy, but they can’t forget about taxes, since many provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 expire next year. “We can walk and chew gum at the same time,” but the sequence of priorities is crucial to a productive congressional session, Johnson indicated.
Congress will also work on passing spending bills during this time in next year. The newly announced Department of Government Efficiency is expected to suggest expansive cuts to the budgets of federal agencies across the board.
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