Bipartisan deal in Congress would dodge government shutdown

Congress reached a bipartisan deal Tuesday that is expected to pave the way for lawmakers to finish an omnibus spending bill before Christmas and avoid a government shutdown. The bill includes federal government funding—such as spending on defense and domestic priorities—for the fiscal year that ends September 30, 2023. House representatives are set to vote this week on a stopgap extension that would fund federal agencies through Dec. 23. The existing stopgap expires Friday. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, said Tuesday said that if work on the omnibus spending bill is not completed by Dec. 22, Republican lawmakers would back a third short-term funding patch into early next year.

What could be included in the budget? Congressional leaders have not announced funding totals but the bill would reportedly reach almost $1.7 trillion. The national defense budget is expected to receive a boost over current funding levels and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said Tuesday that emergency funding for Ukraine will be included in the bill. Other provisions for domestic spending, like an extension of the Child Tax Credit, are still hotly debated.

Dig deeper: Read Carolina Lumetta’s report in The Stew about Congress’ packed end-of-year agenda.