Congress makes a deal on spending into March…..
Congressional leaders have struck a bipartisan deal to push the government funding deadline to March 14 and deliver more than $100 billion in emergency aid for disaster relief, House Republican leaders told their conference Tuesday morning.
The year-end package, which will be the last major legislation Congress clears this year, is expected to include a bill to restrict U.S. investment in China, an extension of expiring health programs, a one-year extension of the farm bill and $10 billion in economic assistance to farmers. The bill will also OK year-round and permanent E15 ethanol sales nationwide, according to four people granted anonymity to discuss the matter.
Speaker Mike Johnson said text of the bill could be released Tuesday, and he is not promising to allow lawmakers a full 72 hours to review the measure ahead of passage, according to two people who attended the closed-door meeting.
If the House passes the package toward the end of the week, it will land in the Senate just ahead of the Friday night government shutdown deadline. On that side of the Capitol, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said negotiations are still ongoing.
“Obviously we’re getting closer to the Dec. 20 deadline, so time is of the essence for Republicans to reach an agreement with us that we can act on quickly,” he said Tuesday morning.
While a brief funding lapse is still possible, an agreement to fast-track final passage in the Senate is likely since lawmakers are eager to leave town for the holidays.
The inclusion of a policy that would approve increased ethanol sales is a major winfor Republicans in corn states, and a large group of GOP senators strongly backed the move, helping Midwest Republicans in the House push the measure into the package. But many House conservatives, who had urged Johnson to forgo the policy and overwhelmingly oppose ethanol subsidies, are livid about its inclusion….
Update…
The House RightWingNut’s are crying ALREADY as usual….
House Republicans are fuming at Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) handling of an end-of-year measure to extend government funding until March, saying it is more like a sprawling omnibus — which they abhor — than a simple temporary funding measure.
The continuing resolution (CR), which will keep government funding at current levels through March 14, is also set to include $100.4 billion in disaster aid for those affected by hurricanes earlier this year and $10 billion in economic assistance for farmers, lawmakers said, among other provisions.
“It’s not a CR, which is a continuation of the budget. It’s turning into an omnibus,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said.
The final text of the measure has not yet been released, as congressional leaders work through the remaining hangups ahead of Friday’s funding deadline. But as the package begins to come into clear focus, Republicans of all stripes — including hard-line conservatives, committee chairs and moderates — are hammering away at Johnson for its contents, the process he followed to craft it, and how he plans to bring it to the floor for a vote.
“It’s a total dumpster fire. I think it’s garbage,” said Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.), a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus. “This is what Washington, D.C., has done. This is why I ran for Congress, to try to stop this. And sadly, this is happening again.”…
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