The Great Smoky Mountain Journal
Source: Fox News
Posted: Tuesday, January 01, 2019 02:31 PM
House Votes 245-182 To Avert Governent Shutdown Tuesday Night With Bill To Run Government Through March 23
The vote was 245 to 182. Eight Republicans voted no, while 17 Democrats voted yes.
This is the first step in averting a possible government shutdown before 11:59:59 p.m. ET Thursday.
It's unclear how the bill may fare in the Senate, although lawmakers there could strike the defense spending plan and zap the package back to the House.
Both parties are in negotiations trying to secure an agreement on raising caps for both defense and non-defense spending, which could be the key to unlock Congress' fiscal issues, while also funding the government.
Democratic leaders
have dropped their strategy of using the funding fight to extract
concessions on immigration, specifically on seeking extended protections
for the "Dreamer" immigrants who have lived in the country illegally
since they were children. Instead, the Democrats prepared to cut a deal
that would reap tens of billions of dollars for other priorities --
including combatting opioids -- while taking their chances on solving
the immigration impasse later.
The Senate is slated next week to begin a debate to address the dilemma
of immigrants left vulnerable by the looming expiration of former
President Barack Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program,
or DACA.
Fox News' Chad Pergram and The Associated Press contributed to this
report.