Congress planning to avert government shutdown

Source: Washington Post

Congressional leaders from both parties have finalized a plan to avert a government shutdown at the end of the month over President Trump’s demands to fund a border wall, and postpone that fight until after the November midterm elections. The bipartisan pact, announced on Thursday by Appropriations Committee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ), reflects the desire of Republican leaders to avoid a nasty shutdown fight weeks before the midterm elections — even if it means sacrificing, at least for now, one of Trump’s most prominent policy goals.

House GOP leadership aides say they believe the White House is on board with their approach, but no one can be sure what Trump ultimately will do. GOP leaders have been pushing Trump to back off rhetoric about shutting down the government, but he has vacillated, suggesting it could be good politics to force a shutdown Oct. 1 to try to get the money he wants for his wall.

While the announcement Thursday reduces the odds of a shutdown, midterm politics or the Freedom Caucus, a group of very conservative members allied with Trump, could always throw a curveball. “The president will have to sign it into law or shut down the government,” Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro (D-Conn.) said at a meeting of a House-Senate Appropriations conference committee that signed off on the deal.

Government funding runs out on Sept 30. Congress is working to send Trump a number of must-pass spending bills for 2019 before then — including crucial measures funding the Pentagon and Health and Human Services Department. The House planned to pass a three-bill package funding Veterans Affairs department and other agencies later Thursday, and send it to Trump to sign.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2018/09/13/house-gop-planning-avert-government-shutdown/?utm_term=.3c7ac44b3e0e&wpisrc=al_politics__alert-politics&wpmk=1