Quick Hit

Top US lawmakers have reached a tentative agreement to prevent a partial government shutdown ahead of a Friday deadline for funding approval. The deal extends four funding bills to March 8 and the rest of the budget to March 22.

Key Details

• The bipartisan deal was struck by House and Senate negotiators on Wednesday, with the House expected to vote on the stopgap measure as early as Thursday.
• Democrats and Republicans have been far apart in the budget negotiations on border security and aid to Ukraine.
• If a deal is not reached, approximately 20% of government departments, including agencies that oversee agriculture, transportation, and veterans affairs, will temporarily close by 12:01 (05:01 GMT) on Saturday.

Diving Deeper

The agreement comes after a period of intense negotiations between Democrats and Republicans, who have been at odds over budget allocations for border security and aid to Ukraine. The Republicans, who control the House by a slim majority, have been pushing for spending cuts and tying any further support for Ukraine to increased funding for US border security. On the other hand, the Democrats, who hold the Senate by a single seat, have been advocating for a more balanced approach to budget allocation.

The deal was announced in a joint statement by top US lawmakers, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. "We are in agreement that Congress must work in a bipartisan manner to fund our government," they said. However, they now face the challenging task of convincing rank and file lawmakers to support the deal.

Failure to reach an agreement could have significant consequences. If a deal is not reached, roughly 20% of government departments, including agencies that oversee agriculture, transportation, and veterans affairs, will temporarily close by 12:01 (05:01 GMT) on Saturday. Other federal funding, including defense spending and homeland security and state department budgets, will expire a week later. Past shutdowns have led to furloughs of government workers and the closure of national parks.

The deal represents a significant step forward in preventing a government shutdown, which has occurred 10 times over the past four decades. However, it is only a temporary solution, and lawmakers will need to continue negotiations to reach a long-term agreement on the budget.

"Mike Johnson" by Gage Skidmore licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED.