CNN
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Lawmakers returning to Washington this week face critical government funding deadlines, and despite agreement on major spending announced over the weekend, more work remains to avoid a government shutdown. .
Unusually, Congress faced not one but two government shutdown deadlines earlier this year: January 19 and February 2.
In a sign of progress Sunday afternoon, the largest numbers agreed to by House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer include $886 billion in defense spending, out of $1.59 trillion for fiscal year 2024; , includes $704 in non-defense spending. The two governments also agreed to a side agreement of $69 billion in adjustments to cover non-defense domestic spending.
Democratic sources told CNN that the side agreement would provide nearly $773 billion in non-defense spending, bringing total spending to nearly $1.66 trillion.
Following the announcement of the agreement, President Joe Biden said on Sunday, “The bipartisan funding framework agreed to by Congressional leaders brings us one step closer to preventing an unnecessary government shutdown and protecting the nation’s critical priorities.” ” he said.
In a sign of potential problems facing parliamentary leaders, the far-right House Freedom Caucus called the deal a “complete failure” and said it would pose a challenge for Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who leads by a razor-thin majority. Members of the Freedom Caucus are adamant about cutting spending levels even further than what Congressional leaders announced Sunday.
Agreeing on overall spending levels is an important first step to funding the government, but Congress must pass a series of funding bills to keep the government running through September, or there are potential pitfalls. Major missions need to be approved or known stopgap measures need to be approved. Lawmakers from both parties have warned that a continuing resolution to expand funding may not adequately address policy challenges and operational needs.
In addition to high-stakes efforts to avert a government shutdown, efforts to enact border security measures have drawn increased scrutiny from both sides and aid to Ukraine and Israel, key U.S. allies facing war. Efforts to pass are becoming complex.
A bipartisan group of senators is holding talks toward a deal on border security that could pave the way for aid passage to Ukraine and Israel. But a growing number of House Republicans are warning that the Senate’s compromise on border security has virtually no chance of passing the floor, instead replacing the tough immigration bill passed last year (known as HR 2). ) has made it clear that it will only accept agreements that reflect this. But Senate Democrats and the White House strongly oppose the plan, insisting it is a non-starter.
The House Republicans’ warning underscored the bleak outlook not only for aid to Ukraine and Israel, but also for border security. House Republicans’ demands for border security could also jeopardize efforts to avoid a government shutdown, as some conservatives have begun calling for a government shutdown if their demands are not met.
In a recent letter to his colleagues, Republican Rep. Chip Roy (Texas) wrote, “If the President signs HR 2, or its functional equivalent, to stop the flow across the border,… We must fund federal operations.”
Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma, one of the chamber’s chief negotiators for Republicans, said in an interview aired Sunday that “we hope to have a document out by the end of this week.” Nothing has been done in this regard.” Been in this area for decades. ”
“Everyone has time to read it and understand it. No one will be impeded in this process, but it’s important that we make an effort to be able to bring this to light,” Lankford told Fox News Sunday. ” said. “But for it to become law, we need a Democratic Senate, a Democratic White House and a Republican House to pass this.”
The focus on border security comes as House Republicans plan to step up criticism of the Biden administration’s immigration policies as they seek to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Prime Minister Johnson sent a cable to members saying he was interested in being more directly involved in discussions with the White House on border security. The Louisiana Republican discussed the matter on a conference call with new members of Congress last week, an acquaintance told CNN.
White House Budget Secretary Sharanda Young expressed concerns about the government shutdown last week.
Young, who heads the White House Office of Management and Budget, was asked on Friday morning’s “Monitor Breakfast” whether he expected a shutdown, and said he was “not optimistic,” pointing to comments from House Republicans. He threatened to shut down the government over border policy.
House Speaker Johnson faces tough vote count and narrow margin
Mr Johnson faces a razor-thin majority and the contest for votes will become even more difficult.
Republicans control just 220 seats, while Democrats control 213. That means House Republicans can afford only a few defections on party-line priorities. Additionally, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise’s office announced that he will be working remotely through February as he recovers from a stem cell transplant.
The majority is expected to shrink further by the end of the month, as Ohio Republican Rep. Bill Johnson plans to resign from Congress on Jan. 21 to become president of Youngstown State University.
As a result, Johnson will have little margin for error as Parliament faces major policy battles in the coming weeks.
“If we can get some policy wins on the border issue, I think Democrats are more and more interested in discussing this issue now because the border issue is becoming a bipartisan issue.3 If we have all these things together, we’ll win anything.” Mick Mulvaney, former director of the Office of Management and Budget under President Donald Trump, said on the podcast “The Ax Files with David Axel.” Rod” said.
Congress passed a stopgap bill in mid-November that extends government funding for military construction, veterans affairs, transportation, housing, energy and other priorities until Jan. 19. The remaining government funding will be available until February 2nd.
The goal was to give lawmakers more time to pass a year-round spending bill, but the deadline is rapidly approaching and there is little time left.
In addition to steering the government’s funding and border policy, Johnson has been instrumental in the Republican impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, which will be scrutinized in the coming weeks, and other Republican oversight efforts targeting the Biden administration. , must steer the party to a narrow majority. .
House Republicans are also moving to impeach Mayorkas over his handling of the border crisis.
“The House Homeland Security Committee conducted a nearly year-long comprehensive investigation into Secretary Mayorkas’ response and role in the unprecedented crisis on the southwest border,” a committee spokesperson said in a statement provided to CNN. I’ve come,” he said.
“Following the bipartisan vote in the House to refer articles of impeachment against the Secretary to our committee, we will conduct a hearing and address those articles,” the statement said.
In response, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that House Republicans are “pursuing a baseless political action that has been rejected by members of both parties and has already failed on a bipartisan vote.”
Republicans on the House Oversight Committee also announced this week that they will consider a resolution this week that would hold Biden’s son Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress for failing to respond to a subpoena for a private deposition. Instead, Hunter Biden addressed reporters outside the Capitol and said he was willing to testify publicly.
CNN’s Betsy Klein, Annie Grayer, Casey Gannon contributed to this report.
