President Barack Obama signed a short-term spending bill late Friday afternoon, and Congress now has until Wednesday to pass a funding measure to avoid a shutdown.
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Lawmakers were unable to meet the deadline for passing the spending bill because of disagreements over attached policy riders. The bill will give Congress and the administration more time to complete negotiations.
“Not every piece of legislation we’re going to agree on every part of it. But i think the underlying legislation we present today is a product of bipartisan cooperation and compromise and give and take”, Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma said Friday.
Under current law, government funding expires Friday at midnight, when the last short-term spending bill expires.
The rendezvous came days before Congress tackles a must-pass spending bill with the threat of a government shutdown looming. He said Republicans meant to finish the spending bill early next week. They are pushing to lift a 40-year-old ban on oil exports, roll back some of the Obama administration’s environmental and financial regulations, and halt the admission of refugees from Syria and Iraq while the administration overhauls the refugee-vetting process.
The Senate voted without debate Thursday to extend the deadline through Wednesday to allow for more discussion. “I want to make sure that these negotiations are done well and done right, and not by some arbitrary deadline”.
Both sides hope to have the bill ready by Monday. With Congress’ legislative year drawing to a close, lawmakers were eager to finalize their work and head home for the holidays. She contended Democrats proposed just a few, “and ours were very reasonable”.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy answers questions on Friday…
But Democrats, whose votes will be needed to pass the bill in both chambers, have said they would only support legislation stripped of any objectionable GOP policy measures.
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In the wake of shootings in California and Colorado, the California Democrat is also calling on Republicans to end a 19-year ban on federally-funded gun violence research.
