Washington- Congressional negotiators have reached an agreement with the White House on funding for the Department of Homeland Security, congressional leaders announced Tuesday, finalizing negotiations on a broader funding plan as the deadline approaches. closing.
“An agreement has been reached for DHS appropriations, which will complete the appropriations process for FY24,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement Tuesday morning. “The House and Senate committees have begun drafting the text of the bill which will be prepared for publication and consideration by the full House and Senate as soon as possible.”
The agreement on DHS funding, reached Monday evening, according to sources familiar with the discussions, brought Congress closer to resolving the government funding dilemma after months of disagreement and threats of a shutdown.
DHS funding appeared to be the main sticking point in a broader spending program, which includes funding for the Departments of Defense, Financial Services, Labor, Health and Human Services, State and foreign operations as well as legislative power. But the legislative text is not expected until Wednesday, a source familiar with the discussions told CBS News, setting a tight timetable to approve the legislation and avoid a partial government shutdown before a Friday evening deadline.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday morning that the congressional appropriations committees “are finalizing the text and reports for careful consideration and review by Congress as soon as possible.”
The package is the second of two, after lawmakers funding approved which covers a smaller part of the government earlier this month.
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Lawmakers agreed to a framework for funding the government last month after months of pushing back funding deadlines with continuing resolutions aimed at keeping the government running, setting two deadlines to do so. After passing the first tranche of spending bills with relative ease, this week’s deadline was intended to give lawmakers more time to reach agreement on the broader package, which includes historically more controversial topics.
This time around, reaching an agreement on DHS funding seemed particularly tedious for lawmakers, taking on new importance amid an ongoing dispute over how to address border security in Congress.
But even with that deal, it could be difficult to get the legislation through Congress in time for the deadline. House lawmakers are expected to have 72 hours to review the package before a House vote later in the week, or Johnson would face intense ire from some members of his conference for breaking his pledge. That would all but guarantee the deadline will pass before the Senate can approve the measure, with parts of the government expected to shut down Saturday morning. As a result, an additional short-term measure to maintain government funding is possible this week.
Nikole Killion contributed reporting