Congressional leaders announce deal to fund rest of government

Originally Published: 19 MAR 24 09:29 ET

Updated: 19 MAR 24 10:00 ET

By Haley Talbot, CNN

Washington (CNN) — Congressional leaders on Tuesday formally announced a deal to keep the rest of the government funded through the fiscal year, but with just days to go before a key deadline, members from both parties in the House and Senate will need to cooperate in order to prevent a partial government shutdown.

Speaker Mike Johnson announced the deal in a statement, saying he hopes the text of the legislation will be released “as soon as possible,” a key step expected before either chamber votes.

A GOP leadership aide told CNN on Monday night that congressional negotiators had reached an agreement on funding for the Department of Homeland Security. At a time when security at the southern border has become a central issue in the 2024 campaign, funding for the agency had become a major obstacle.

Congress has until 11:59 p.m. ET Friday to pass the deal, and getting through both chambers is expected to take days. Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, will likely need many Democratic votes to pass the legislation as the far right wing of his conference have been pushing against the bill. And in the Democratic controlled Senate, any one member of the narrowly divided chamber can slow down the process, pushing the federal government passed its deadline.

“House and Senate committees have begun drafting bill text to be prepared for release and consideration by the full House and Senate as soon as possible,” Johnson announced in his statement.

Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries added: “In the next few days, upon completion of the drafting process, Congress will review and consider the appropriations package in order to fund the government and meet the needs of hardworking American taxpayers.”

The leaders of the Senate, Democrat Chuck Schumer and Republican Mitch McConnell, also announced statements regarding the agreement.

In his own statement, President Joe Biden welcomed news of the deal.

“We have come to an agreement with Congressional leaders on a path forward for the remaining full-year funding bills,” Biden wrote. “The House and Senate are now working to finalize a package that can quickly be brought to the floor, and I will sign it immediately.”

This story has been updated with additional developments.

CNN’s Morgan Rimmer and Donald Judd contributed to this report.

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