WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress is expected to quickly approve a stopgap budget bill Wednesday that would keep federal agencies funded when the new fiscal year begins next Tuesday, averting a potential shutdown just weeks before the Nov. 5 election.
The stopgap measure generally funds agencies at current levels through Dec. 20, but it added an additional $231 million to bolster the Secret Service after the two assassination attempts on Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Money also was added to help with the presidential transition, among other things.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) called the measure “only what is absolutely necessary,” a statement he directed at members of his own conference concerned about the size of the spending.
Still, it’s a no-go for some Republicans, leaving House GOP leadership dependent on Democratic votes to push the bill through a process that requires at least two-thirds support from voting members. Johnson said the only alternative to the continuing resolution at this stage would be a government shutdown.
“It would be political misconduct to shut down the government,” Johnson said. “I think everybody understands that.”
If the House approves the temporary funding measure as expected, it will go to the Senate for final approval. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Wednesday night that he had reached an agreement that approval would happen quickly.
“That’s the way it should be,” Schumer said. “Without standing on the edge of the abyss, without delay.”
Lawmakers in both chambers are eager to return to their home states and districts to campaign and pave the way for passage of a temporary funding solution. But more difficult fiscal negotiations await them through the end of the year.
That’s because the law effectively postpones a final decision on full-year spending levels for three months. Under the terms of an earlier deal to avert a federal bankruptcy and allow the government to continue paying its bills, spending on defense and nondefense programs would increase by 1 percent next year.
The Senate has set a course to exceed that level, while Republicans in the House have voted for deep cuts to many non-defense programs and have attached policy mandates to the spending bills that Democrats overwhelmingly oppose. So a final deal will be tough to reach.
In the meantime, the temporary law will largely fund the government at current levels, with a few exceptions, such as a cash injection for the Secret Service.
The $231 million for the Secret Service comes with strings attached. It’s contingent on the agency adhering to Congressional oversight. The law also allows the Secret Service to spend its appropriations more quickly if needed.
“Everybody understands this is critically important right now,” Johnson said of the Secret Service money.
In a recent letter, the Secret Service told lawmakers that a funding shortage was not the reason for Trump’s security lapses when a gunman climbed onto an unsecured roof at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and opened fire on July 13. But acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. also made it clear that the agency had “immediate needs” and was talking to Congress.
The continuing resolution is needed because Congress has yet to finish work on the 12 annual budget bills that fund much of the federal government. The House has passed five of the 12 bills, largely along party lines. The Senate has passed none.
Johnson also warned that he would not support a major government funding bill (a so-called omnibus bill) when the December 20 extension expires, potentially requiring a stopgap measure that would give the new president and Congress the final say on spending levels for fiscal year 2025.
“I have no intention of returning to that terrible tradition,” Johnson said.
