WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives plan to file a stopgap funding measure that would avoid a government shutdown and keep federal agencies operating through Dec. 11, according to a House Democratic aide.
The measure, known formally as a continuing resolution or CR, was expected to be released by the Democratic-led House Appropriations Committee and taken up by the full House and the Republican-led Senate next week. But it was not immediately clear when the CR would be filed.
“We plan to file a CR with a Dec. 11 end date,” said the Democratic aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Word of the CR emerged after weeks of negotiations between Democrats and Republicans. With talks on new COVID-19 aid legislation stalled, lawmakers were determined to reach an agreement on the funding measure.
Failure to adopt the CR would threaten a partial shutdown of the federal government in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic and just before the Nov. 3 election. Current funding for U.S. agencies runs out after Sept. 30, the end of the federal fiscal year.
The measure’s expected December end date would require Congress to address government funding again in its post-election lameduck session, when the threat of a government shutdown could re-emerge.
(Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
