Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Solons may punt to avoid shutdown

UPDATE: WASHINGTON - An end-of-the-year promised federal government shutdown appears to have fizzled Dec. 20 after Republican leadership dropped demands to shore up shaky health insurance markets and Democrats appeared to abandon their adoption goal to protect younger undocumented immigrants from deportation. All of that appeared to lead the way for Congress to adopt another Continuing Resolution into January, and again punt the government funding issue down the road. (New York Times 12/21/17)

Previous: Congress has until midnight Dec. 22 to cut a deal to fund the military and the rest of the federal government before the last continuing resolution (CR) expires. Capitol Hill has been solely focused on the GOP tax reform bill. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) may go for another CR to fund the government through Jan. 19. The House budget bill gives the military a full year of funding, but it would be “dead on arrival” in the Senate, according to Minority Leader Chuck Shumer (D-NY). (Source: Washington Examiner 12/20/17) A government shutdown would include non-payment of military, civilian federal employees, and military and civilian retirees; and Social Security payments.

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