Lawmakers Signal Stopgap Spending Bill Needed as Talks Continue
WASHINGTON—Negotiators remained locked in talks about overall spending levels for the current fiscal year and special items such as Covid-19 funding, with lawmakers set to turn this week to a short-term bill to keep the government running if no deal is reached.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D., Vt.), Sen. Richard Shelby (R., Ala.) and their House counterparts have intensified their conversations in recent weeks for an omnibus spending bill, and Republicans presented a formal offer to Democrats on Wednesday for fiscal 2022 spending. No breakthrough emerged, and lawmakers anticipate that Congress will need to pass another interim spending measure to keep the government operating beyond Feb. 18, when a current measure expires.
Rep. Jim Clyburn (D., S.C.), the majority whip, signaled that lawmakers were prepared to fall back on a continuing resolution to keep the government funded.
“We are hopeful that something will come forward next week in the form of an omnibus. But if not, we will respond appropriately when we get to that point,” he said Friday.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/lawmakers-signal-stopgap-spending-bill-needed-as-talks-continue/ar-AATwJrJ