Congress unveils first six budget bills as government shutdown clock ticks
Source: CNBC
Published Sun, Mar 3 2024 5:01 PM EST
Congressional lawmakers on Sunday released the details of the first six budget bills needed to keep government agencies funded before they run out of money and a partial government shutdown takes effect this coming weekend. The 1,050-page appropriations package has funding for six major areas of government that encompass military and veterans affairs departments, agriculture, commerce, energy and water, transportation, housing and more.
Funding for those departments was due to expire last Friday, March 1, but congressional leaders struck a deal on Wednesday to extend those deadlines by a week and avert a partial government shutdown. It was the fourth such funding extension this fiscal year, as Congress has struggled to settle on a long-term budget plan.
This partial budget deal is a step forward in the push to secure a permanent budget plan for the rest of the fiscal year, which started Oct. 1. But these six funding bills are just half the battle. The other six appropriations bills that keep the rest of the government funded are due to expire on March 22, giving Capitol Hill just over two weeks to negotiate the other half of the governments spending plan.
Still, leaders on both sides of the aisle are touting the first half of funding package as a win, though for different reasons. Democrats are trumpeting the continued full funding of a special food assistance program for women, infants and children. They also secured wins on rent assistance and pay for infrastructure employees like air traffic controllers and railway inspectors.
Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/03/congress-unveils-first-six-budget-bills-to-avert-government-shutdown.html
Nictuku
(3,621 posts)Makes perfect sense to me. Some miss votes to do fundraising. If they are not allowed to do any kind of Fundraising until they do their fucking jobs, just watch how fast those budgets would get done.
Added in Edit: I mean, THIS budget they are talking about should have been done LAST year. What are they doing on the next budget?
riversedge
(70,442 posts)already!! But so many extensions! We never know till the last minute it seems