On Nov. 21, 2019, the Senate passed a stopgap continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government through Dec. 20, buying Congress time to resolve disputes over a broader spending package for fiscal 2020. President Donald Trump has said he will sign the bill, averting a government shutdown that would be triggered at midnight.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) has told his caucus to prepare to remain in town the week of Dec. 16 to deal with a possible year-end government funding measure. Republican and Democratic leaders are stuck on several key points in spending negotiations, including how much funding to allocate for Trump’s border wall and limits on the administration’s ability to divert funds from the defense department to pay for border projects. Republicans have also pointed to House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry as a barrier to resolving the spending debate before the end of the year.
“We have to work out something with the Democrats on the wall, and things maybe related to the wall,” said Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL).
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