The Republican-controlled House of Representatives (the lower house of the US Congress) is preparing to vote later this week on a temporary funding measure to avoid a partial shutdown of the federal government in two weeks, reports "Reuters".
Congressmen voted 216 votes "for" and 210 "against" to approve a measure allowing the House of Representatives to begin debate on temporary legislation that would provide funding for federal agencies through Nov. 21.
This gives the House and Senate additional time to reach an agreement on bills for the 2026 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.
The temporary measure, known as a continuing resolution or "CR", also includes $88 million to bolster security for members of Congress, the Supreme Court and the executive branch following the assassination of the conservative
House Republicans hope to pass the CR by Friday and send it to the Senate, which would also have to approve the measure before Republican President Donald Trump can sign it into law.
The White House issued a policy statement in support of the resolution, which Democrats rejected as a partisan Republican bill.
Late Wednesday, Democrats introduced their own measure that would keep the government open until Oct. 31. It would also restore funding for the Medicaid health care program for low-income Americans that was eliminated in Trump's tax cut bill and permanently extend the health tax credits under the Affordable Care Act.
The Democrats' proposal is unlikely to pass.
But Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer told reporters it could provide the basis for a bipartisan compromise.
"We have two weeks. They need to sit down and talk to us, and maybe we can get a good deal. Let's see," Schumer said. The contrast between the Democrats' budget proposal and the Republican proposal is stark. Republicans want the same old status quo: rising costs, declining health care. Democrats want to meet people's needs by improving health care and reducing costs," the New York Democrat said.
A Senate Republican leadership aide called the Democrats' bill a "frivolous proposal."
Republicans have a 53-47 majority in the Senate, but they would need 60 votes to pass a temporary measure before Oct. 1. That would require the support of at least seven Democrats.
The annual funding debate covers only about a quarter of the federal government's $7 trillion budget, which includes mandatory programs like Social Security and Medicare, as well as payments on the nation's $37.5 trillion debt.