Congressional leaders secured a bipartisan agreement on the framework for a big government spending plan that they expect to pass before the holidays on Tuesday.
“Today, Vice Chairman Shelby, Chair DeLauro, and I reached a bipartisan, bicameral framework that should allow us to finish an omnibus appropriations bill that can pass the House and Senate and be signed into law by the President,” Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said in a statement.
“The pain of inflation is real, and it is being felt across the federal government and by American families right now. We cannot delay our work any further.”
Senator Richard Shelby, R-Ala., is the Senate Appropriations Committee’s vice chair. The House Appropriations Committee is chaired by Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn.
Shelby acknowledged the agreement in a statement issued on Tuesday. “If all goes well, we should be able to finish an omnibus appropriations package by December 23rd,” Shelby added.
The nature of the arrangement was not specified in the statement.
Negotiations to avoid a government shutdown have consumed lawmakers. Senators had been considering a one-week stopgap bill to push the deadline back to Dec. 23 to give negotiators more time to reach a full-year spending agreement.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., warned members to expect a “continuing resolution” this week to avoid a government shutdown “that neither side wants” as Congress neared agreement on the broader spending bill.
