Democracy Dies in Darkness
Economic Policy

Congress races to pass $1.2 trillion in spending before shutdown deadline

House and Senate leaders unveiled new legislation Thursday that would fund the federal government for the next six months. Current funding is set to expire Saturday.

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Updated March 21, 2024 at 5:28 p.m. EDT|Published March 21, 2024 at 8:50 a.m. EDT
The U.S. Capitol earlier this month. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)
6 min

Congress is staring down a fast-approaching government shutdown deadline, as lawmakers prepare to vote Friday morning on a $1.2 trillion bipartisan spending package to fund the federal government for the next six months.

Support for the bill is hardly in doubt. President Biden, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) all back it, and it’s expected to pass with wide bipartisan majorities in both chambers. But negotiators spent so much time in talks to finalize the legislation that lawmakers could bumble into a brief partial shutdown if they can’t finish working before 12:01 a.m. Saturday.