Congress set to extend government shutdown deadline into Trump’s term

With Republicans on the cusp of unified control of Washington, Congress appears primed to extend the deadline for a government shutdown well past President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Lawmakers are discussing a temporary measure that would fund the government into March, according to two people briefed on the discussions, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

That would give the Senate plenty of time to begin confirming Trump’s Cabinet nominees, and the House time to plot out maneuvers on tax legislation, without the threat of an imminent government shutdown. Without new legislation, financing for federal agencies will expire Dec. 20.

The proposed timeline also jibes with the timing of a plan originally put forward by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La, in September. Johnson proposed a six-month continuing resolution, or CR, that would have lasted until March and included unrelated legislation the House had previously approved to require proof of citizenship to register to vote in national elections.

But Republicans across the ideological spectrum – from defense hawks to penny-pinchers – opposed that plan, as did many members from both parties in the Senate. So Congress instead backed a shorter temporary funding law and hoped to complete annual spending bills or pass another extension by the December deadline.

Now, with the prospect of GOP control on either side of the Capitol – and only 20 planned working days until the shutdown deadline – a CR may be the only viable option to keep the government open, congressional aides say.

Democrats, who loathe government shutdowns, are expected to largely accept the proposal, though leaders say they hope to fast-track annual appropriations bills rather than another short-term one.

“The results of the election do not change my desire to pass full-year funding bills as soon as possible. I have been ready to negotiate and believe a deal is possible if my colleagues on the other side of the aisle come to the table,” Rep. Rosa DeLauro (Connecticut), the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said in a statement.

Even if Republicans control both houses of Congress, Democrats could still play a large role in funding legislation at the start of Trump’s presidency. The GOP’s already narrow House majority – which has made it difficult to pass multiple conservative spending bills – could be even smaller when vote counts are finalized, and Republicans won’t have enough Senate seats to dodge a filibuster.

“As I’ve said time and again, in both the majority and the minority, the only way to get things done in the Senate is through bipartisan legislation while maintaining our principles – and the next two years will be no different,” Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement.

Lawmakers will have other exigent funding concerns when they return to Washington on Tuesday: Congress must replenish accounts for the Small Business Administration, which exhausted its disaster loan resources after hurricanes Milton and Helene.

Congress may also consider additional disaster aid, including money to rebuild Baltimore’s collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge and other major roadways, along with storm-stricken swaths of Florida and North Carolina.