Government Shutdown Odds Hit 25% As GOP Unveils $1.2 Trillion Spending Bill
by Tyler Durden
ZeroHedge.com
Mon, 03/19/2018
After passing its fifth continuing resolution since inauguration day early last month, Democratic and Republican lawmakers promised that this would be the last time – and that, when it came time to approve the next spending bill in late March, leaders had agreed to push for an omnibus package that would cover federal spending through the end of the fiscal year in September.
Of course, rumblings about an omnibus bill had proceeded the last few short-term deals. But it appears that, this time, lawmakers are taking their promises seriously. To wit, Bloomberg reported that a $1.2 trillion omnibus spending bill would be presented at a Republican conference meeting set for 5:45 pm ET on Monday, according to a Republican aide.
To be sure, the aide cautioned that the release time could be delayed until tomorrow due to last-minute haggling – but anybody who has been paying attention to the Trump administration’s legislative trials and travails would’ve assumed that, anyway.
Negotiations over the bill have been fraught with disagreements, and several key issues remain unresolved. While both Republicans and Democrats want to avoid another shutdown, one Congressional aide told Bloomberg that, as of today, there’s a 25% chance a shutdown will happen at midnight Friday.
Last week, Bloomberg reported that haggling over the omnibus bill had hit an impasse, meaning that final votes would likely be hastily held late Friday, March 23 – meaning the push to avert what would be the second Trump era federal government shutdown might go right down to the wire. That’s a marked contrast with the negotiations for the fifth continuing resolution, which saw a bill passed with ample time to spare.
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