Congressional leaders announce deal to fund rest of government

Washington
CNN
—

Congressional leaders formally announced a deal Tuesday to keep the government’s remaining funding through the fiscal year, but with just days left before a key deadline, members of both parties in the House and Senate need to work together. be. Partial government shutdown.

Speaker Mike Johnson announced the agreement in a statement, saying he hoped the text of the bill would be released “as soon as possible,” an important step before a vote in both chambers.

A Republican leadership aide told CNN Monday night that Congressional negotiators have reached an agreement on funding for the Department of Homeland Security. At a time when security at the southern border has become a central issue in the 2024 election campaign, funding for government agencies has been a major stumbling block.

Congress has until 11:59 p.m. ET on Friday to pass the deal, and passage through both chambers is expected to take several days. Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, will likely need many Democratic votes to pass the bill, as far-right members of his conference oppose it. And in the Democratic-controlled Senate, any member of the narrowly divided chamber could slow the process and push the federal government past its deadline.

“The House and Senate committees have begun drafting the text of the bill, which will be ready for presentation and consideration by the full House and Senate as soon as possible,” Prime Minister Johnson said in a statement.

Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries added, “In the coming days, once the drafting process is complete, Congress will review and consider a spending package to fund the government and meet the needs of hardworking American taxpayers. I plan to do so,” he added.

Senate leaders Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, and Mitch McConnell, a Republican, also issued statements regarding the agreement.

President Joe Biden welcomed news of the agreement in his own statement.

“We have reached agreement with Congressional leaders on how to proceed with the remaining funding bill,” Biden wrote. “The House and Senate are currently working on a final version that can be brought to the floor quickly, and I intend to sign it immediately.”

This story has been updated with additional developments.

CNN’s Morgan Rimmer and Donald Judd contributed to this report.