Congressional Leaders Prep Stopgap to Punt Spending Bill into Trump’s Second Term

Congressional leaders are prepping a stopgap funding bill that would punt the next funding bill into President-elect Donald Trump’s second term.

Congress faces a December 20 deadline for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to strike a deal on funding the government and are preparing another stop-gap bill to keep the government running for the foreseeable future.

Schumer said on the Senate floor Monday that “both sides are making progress negotiating on a bill that will pass the House and Senate with bipartisan support.”

“We need to keep divisive and unnecessary provisions out of any government funding extension, or it will get harder to pass a CR in time. For now, I’m pleased negotiations are on the right track,” the Senate Democrat leader added.

Politico reported that Johnson and Trump have discussed strategy about how to fund the government:

Trump has been uncharacteristically silent on the issue, but lawmakers are running out of time to incorporate the president-elect’s stance into bipartisan and bicameral talks if they want to avoid a shutdown. Johnson has said he and Trump talk frequently about funding, but the speaker won’t divulge the details of those discussions.

If Trump weighs in with sweeping demands closer to the deadline, when many details have already been hammered out, it could increase the chance of a deal falling apart. Neither party wants a shutdown at this point.

House conservatives want a March deadline, while Democrats and appropriators may want an earlier deadline to prevent potential budget cuts.

Congressional leaders also want to pass tens of billions of dollars in disaster aid. The Biden White House has requested as much as $98 billion in emergency funding to help victims of Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on X @SeanMoran3.