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The
chamber's Democratic and Republican leaders say they support the
legislation, which passed the Republican-controlled House of
Representatives on Tuesday by a wide bipartisan margin.
But opponents could invoke the chamber's arcane rules to prevent
a vote before midnight on Friday (0500 GMT on Saturday), when
current funding will expire. Both chambers of Congress need to
pass spending legislation and send it to President Joe Biden to
sign into law before then in order to avoid disruption.
The bill would extend government funding at current levels
through mid-January, giving lawmakers more time to work on the
detailed spending bills that fund everything from the military
to scientific research.
More significantly, it would avoid a partial shutdown that would
disrupt a wide array of government services and furlough
hundreds of thousands of federal workers.
Tuesday's House vote was a victory for House Speaker Mike
Johnson, who faced down opposition from some of his fellow
Republicans who had pushed for deep spending cuts.
Johnson was a little-known Louisiana lawmaker until he was
elected speaker on Oct. 25 following weeks of Republican
infighting.
The legislation would extend funding for military construction,
veterans benefits, transportation, housing, urban development,
agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration and energy and
water programs through Jan. 19. Funding for all other federal
operations - including defense - would expire on Feb. 2.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer on Tuesday said he
supported the bill and vowed to bring it up for a vote as
quickly as possible. The chamber's top Republican, Mitch
McConnell, said he supported it as well.
(Writing by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Scott Malone and Lisa
Shumaker)
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