The House and the Democratic-controlled Senate are due to be in session for about 12 days before funding expires on Sept. 30, leaving little time to agree on a package of 12 appropriations bills that can pass each chamber and win Democratic President Joe Biden’s signature.
The main bone of contention among House Republicans is a demand by roughly three-dozen members of the hardline House Freedom Caucus to cut spending for fiscal 2024 to $1.47 trillion – about $120 billion less than Biden and Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy agreed in May.
The White House and Senate leaders – including top Republican Mitch McConnell – have rejected that demand.
That dispute and other hardline demands, including opposition to Ukraine aid and calls for an impeachment inquiry against Biden, could imperil efforts to pass a short-term stopgap, known as a continuing resolution or “CR,” which would keep federal agencies afloat while lawmakers debate full-scale appropriations.
