Trump Supports Short-Term Spending Bill Before Funding Deadline Approaches
Trump’s appeal for a continuing resolution emerges as the GOP aims to advance his agenda via a method known as reconciliation.
President Donald Trump has expressed his support for maintaining government funding at current levels ahead of the March 14 deadline.
CR, or continuing resolution, would provide funding for the government without altering the existing budgets for various agencies and government initiatives.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has advocated for a CR, remarking to reporters that it is “the most reasonable thing to do to ensure that the government is not shut down.”
On the Democratic side in the House, House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), rather than House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), is spearheading efforts for the minority.
“Rosa DeLauro continues to lead the appropriations discussions on behalf of House Democrats,” Jeffries informed reporters on February 27.
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“She’s actively involved. She has established a working relationship with Tom Cole, and we’ll see how those negotiations unfold.”
Cole serves as the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.
Regarding the potential support from Democrats for a CR, Jeffries was noncommittal.
“In terms of any subsequent consideration of a year-long continuing resolution, that’s a discussion we’ll engage in at the appropriate moment with the entire House Democratic caucus,” he stated.
Although only a simple majority is required to pass a CR in the House, its fate in the Senate, where the 60-vote filibuster is in place, remains uncertain.
“You may increase or decrease certain expenditures,” Johnson noted. “You can include language reflecting the significant changes made to USAID in the ongoing funding.”
“It would primarily be a clean CR, I believe, but would incorporate some adjustments to align with the new realities,” he added.
Trump’s call for a CR coincides with the GOP’s efforts to advance his agenda through a reconciliation process that permits legislation related to taxes, spending, and the national debt to bypass the filibuster. The proposed legislation would focus on Trump’s priorities concerning the border, energy, and taxes.
Both the House and Senate need to approve an identical budget resolution to activate the reconciliation process. Each chamber has already passed its own resolution.
