Skip to content

Do We Have a Deal?

The top appropriators in both chambers of Congress reached an agreement yesterday on a framework for funding levels for the 12 appropriations bills for FY2021, which, in theory, should avoid a government shutdown when the current short term spending measure expires at midnight on December 12.  This development lays the groundwork for a large omnibus spending package for FY2021.  It appears that the negotiators were able to get to a compromise on how to divide up a total of approximately $1.4 trillion that is available in discretionary spending for the bills.  The allocations for the individual measures, however, will not become available until there is a final agreement.

As noted above, the current spending mechanism that has kept the government funded since October 1 expires at midnight on December 12.  Congress must pass, and the president must sign, another spending measure before then to avoid a government shutdown.

At this point, although there seems to be an agreement among Congressional negotiators, there is no guarantee that President Trump will actually sign an omnibus bill.  The last time he signed such a bill, for FY2018, he publicly declared that he would not sign another one.  How the process moves forward remains to be seen.

Read more about the developments here and here.