The US Congress passed legislation Friday that gives it until Dec. 16 to work out either a yearlong appropriations measure or extend the deadline again.
President Obama is expected to sign the bill, which passed the House after the the Senate approved it Thursday.
House Speaker Paul Ryan said cCongressional leaders must reach a deal on the $1.1 trillion omnibus appropriations measure quickly and get it right, though he could not guarantee during a news conference on Thursday that the deal would be done by the Dec. 16 deadline.
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Harold "Hal" Rogers, RD-Ky., said on the House floor Friday said it was "unfortunately necessary" to extend the deadline for five days to make sure the government stays open while cCongressional leaders wrap up negotiations.
He said he believes negotiators would make the Dec. 16 deadline, as they were making "good progress."
"I'm not a fan of continuing resolutions, they tend to be wasteful and inefficient;, however at this point, I see this procedure as the best way forward," Rogers said.
Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., said she was voicing "half-hearted support" for the measure, which she said "reflects a failure of congress to carry out one of our most basic responsibilities," an on-time appropriations measure. She blamed Republicans for including "dangerous harmful policies" in the omnibus.
Negotiators are expected to work over the weekend, tangling over politically charged policy riders opposed by congressional Democrats and the White House. These issues are said to range from Syrian and Iraqi refugee restrictions, abortion, campaign finance, Obama administration environmental rules and the ability of employees to unionize.
Email: jgould@defensenews.com
Twitter: @reporterjoe
Joe Gould was the senior Pentagon reporter for Defense News, covering the intersection of national security policy, politics and the defense industry. He had previously served as Congress reporter.
