DEALT IN

Congress Reportedly Avoids Shutdown With Short-Term Deal

The deal, praised by Democrats, buys House and Senate leaders more time to pass appropriations bills and keeps the government running through March.

Leaders in the Senate and the House of Representatives have reportedly cut a deal to keep the government funded until early March, avoiding a shutdown when funding was set to expire on Jan. 19. The agreement, reported by NBC News and CNN, buys Congress more time as it attempts to craft longer-term spending plans, and comes on the heels of an agreement between Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to set spending at $1.59 trillion for the 2024 fiscal year. House Republicans will discuss spending negotiations in a call on Sunday night, although several far-right members have already slammed last weekend's deal and threatened to oust Johnson as they toppled his predecessor Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) last year. Unlike McCarthy, who quietly left Congress last month, Johnson may have the support of Democrats, however, who have signaled they would rescue him from the chopping block if it came to it.