By Moira Warburton
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Senate still has “a lot of negotiating left to do” on a bill that would fund the federal government through Sept. 30, 2023, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Tuesday.
Without prompt action by Congress, federal agencies will run out of funding on Dec. 16 under a stop-gap spending bill now in place.
“We’re working very hard on getting something done before the deadline,” Schumer said in a Senate speech, adding that he had been on the phone with Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell into the evening on Monday.
Should Congress not pass a full year “omnibus” spending bill, or at least a stopgap measure that would maintain current funding levels, parts of the government would be forced to shut down.
Schumer and McConnell have both said an omnibus is vital for national security. A stopgap measure, known as a continuing resolution, would force the military to operate under funding levels of the last fiscal year, forcing it to rely on legacy equipment and halt development of new technologies.
“Both sides understand that fully funding the government is extremely important, and anything less risks harm to our troops and the federal government’s ability to serve the public. We don’t want that outcome,” Schumer said.
(Reporting by Moira Warburton and Katherine Jackson in Washington; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
