Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have a lot of work to do to keep vital departments like the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) and the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) up and running as well as pass a federal budget for the fiscal year before last year’s stopgap funding expires on January 19, 2024.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) says a Continuing Resolution (CR) is the only choice at this point.
“We need to prevent a government shutdown. So, now the question is, how long does the CR need to be, and that’ll be up to the Majority Leader and the Speaker to determine the length of the CR.”
Senate GOP Leader, Mitch McConnel
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said that last year, he would not do another Continuing Resolution or Stop Gap Funding Bill — but this year, his opinion has changed.
“I’m not ruling out anything, committing to anything, other than getting these appropriations done. And I think we can, and we’re pushing everybody hard.”
House Speaker, Mike Johnson
Funding for the USDA expires one week from today. Congress has until February 2 for the entire budget.
