US Congressional leaders have announced a funding deal for much of the federal budget, which both chambers will try to pass before this week’s deadline.
“It’s great news that Congress has finally reached a bipartisan agreement on the first six government funding bills that will keep the government running,” said Senate (upper house) Democratic leader Chuck Schumer on Sunday. .
Congressional leaders reached agreement on a $460 billion package (USD 1.00 is equivalent to Kz 828.5140) that has yet to be voted on in the US Senate and House of Representatives (lower house).
“Time is running out, because government funding expires on Friday,” warned Schumer. “Therefore, the House of Representatives must quickly approve and send this bipartisan agreement to the Senate,” he added.
A delay in either chamber might lead to the temporary closure of many government departments and public services, what Americans call a “shutdown”.
The list of potential consequences is long: unpaid air traffic controllers, government agencies at a standstill, some frozen food aid, unmaintained national parks.
The bipartisan agreement was welcomed by both parties. The Republican leader of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, said the agreement had led to “fundamental conservative victories” and “deep cuts” in some federal spending.
For her part, the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Patty Murray, highlighted that Democratic negotiators managed to “block several Republican measures”, citing in particular “efforts to restrict the right to abortion”.
US President Joe Biden is expected to address both chambers of Congress on March 7 for the State of the Union address, the traditional political intervention of Presidents before the US Congress.
