ELEVENTH HOUR

Congress Passes Stopgap Bill to Keep Government Going Until March

Both chambers agreed on the third short-term bill in four months as they struggle to craft a long-term deal.

The House and Senate passed a short-term funding deal on Thursday evening, preventing a partial government shutdown. The measure was approved in the House after a last-minute attempt by conservative hard-liners to add partisan border security terms to the package. The move was the latest step in the tension between the ultraconservative Freedom Caucus and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA). Funding for about 20 percent of the government, including the Department of Transportation and some veterans’ assistance programs, was set to expire on Saturday, with the rest on Feb. 2. With the new extension, Congress has early March to craft a new deal to keep the government open. Lawmakers have only six days that both chambers are open together between now and the new deadline to pass the necessary appropriations bills.