Congress Faces Chaos as Government Shutdown Looms Amid Divisions Over Spending and Stopgap Funding Measures

Congress is in a state of chaos as the government shutdown nears, with a 45-day stopgap bill that would keep the government open and aid to victims of natural disasters and flood insurance on the line. The House passed three fiscal 2024 bills but rejected one, Agriculture, in a sign of continuing Republican divisions on spending. The Senate made progress on its bipartisan, 45 day stopgap legislation Thursday, but negotiators are still working to determine whether they can amend it with some additional border security funding to make it more palatable to the House. If an unexpected breakthrough happens soon, government funding will run out Sunday at 12:01 a.m. Questions loomed all day Thursday over whether the House could pass any spending bills, with the House Freedom Caucus suggesting they could oppose a CR without commitments that the speaker will keep the chamber in session to pass all 12 annual appropriations bills at lower spending levels and “publicly refute” the Senate’s stopgap measure. The lone bill to go down to defeat was Agriculture-Rural Development, which includes deep cuts to conservation, rural development and rural energy grants, among other areas. Amendments adopted this week went further in targeting climate programs, including President Joe Biden’s jobs initiative.