GOP Caves In, Okays U.S. Spending Bill Until December

Congressional leaders have announced an agreement on a short-term spending bill that will fund federal agencies for about three months, averting a possible partial government shutdown when the new budget year begins on Oct. 1 and pushing final decisions until after the November election, Kevin Freking reported for the Associated Press (AP).

Lawmakers have struggled to reach this point as the current budget year winds to a close at month’s end.

Temporary spending bills generally fund agencies at current levels, but an additional $231 million was included to bolster the Secret Service after two assassination attempts against Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, and additional money was added to aid with the presidential transition, among other things.

Lawmakers have struggled to reach this point as the current budget year winds to a close at month’s end.

At the urging of the most conservative members of his conference, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had linked temporary funding with a mandate that would have compelled states to require proof of citizenship when people register to vote.

But Johnson abandoned that approach to reach an agreement, even as Trump insisted there should not be a stopgap measure without the voting requirement. Bipartisan negotiations began in earnest shortly after that, with leadership agreeing to extend funding into mid-December.