The Next Short-Term Funding Bill Will Extend Deep into March
Budget

The Next Short-Term Funding Bill Will Extend Deep into March

Wikimedia Commons/Wendy Harman

Facing a February 8 deadline to keep the government from shutting down again, GOP lawmakers are planning another continuing resolution that would fund the government for six more weeks, or until about March 23, The Hill reports.

The stop-gap bill could pass early next week, before Democrats head out of town for a retreat on Wednesday.

Republicans were unable to agree upon a long-term strategy during their three-day retreat this week, and the tentative plan now is to pass a short-term funding bill then reach a deal on immigration quickly before turning to an omnibus spending bill to cover the rest of the 2018 fiscal year.

Most lawmakers, Republicans and Democrats alike, are saying that another government shutdown is unlikely.

But the list of issues that need to be addressed — including the fate of the so-called Dreamers, defense spending levels and raising the debt ceiling — is long and complex, leaving plenty of room for conflict and error. 

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