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A4 U.S. NEWS
Friday 13 december 2019

Tentative deal would avert possible looming federal shutdown

ANDREW TAYLOR Congress. “There’s a meet- before the House votes on
Associated Press ing of the minds,” Lowey impeaching Trump. A Sen-
WASHINGTON (AP) — Se- said. ate vote is expected be-
nior lawmakers announced Details of the agreement fore a temporary spending
a tentative agreement were not announced and bill expires next Friday at
Thursday on an almost $1.4 processing the sweeping midnight.
trillion government-wide measure is sure to take A White House official said
spending bill that would a few days. But it would Trump is likely to sign the
stave off a federal shut- award President Donald bill because it maintains his
down next weekend and Trump with $1.4 billion in ad- ability to pay for the wall.
split the differences on a ditional money for the U.S.- The official spoke on condi-
number of contentious is- Mexico border wall while tion of anonymity because
sues. giving the Democrats who the deal is not official.
The handshake agreement control the House a num- A year ago, a deadlock
was announced by the ber of their priorities such as oover the wall led Trump
chairwoman of the House expanded Head Start and to spark a 35-day partial
Appropriations Committee, early childhood education. government shutdown. The Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., speaks during her
Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., The measure is likely to pass eventual agreement that weekly news conference on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Dec. 12,
and other top members of the House next week just emerged produced a tem- 2019, in Washington.
Associated Press
plate for the current pact: — and deeply unpopular
no “poison pill” policy pro- — alternative would be to
visions on topics such as mostly run the government
abortion and the environ- on autopilot and give back
ment that could not pass about $100 billion in spend-
muster with both Demo- ing increases from the July
crats and Republicans. budget deal.
“We decided that the de- But Trump was denied $3.6
cisions would be made to- billion to replace money
day,” said Rep. Kay Grang- tapped from popular mili-
er, R-Texas. “We said, tary base projects, an out-
‘It’s time to get this thing come that might make him
done.’” reluctant to repeat his con-
At issue are 12 annual troversial move to declare
spending bill that fund the an national emergency to
day-to-day operations of grab the military money.
federal agencies. The ap- The drive for a spending
propriations package fills in agreement faced nu-
the long-overdue details of merous hurdles, but it al-
this summer’s budget and ways had strong support
debt pact, which offered from the top four leaders
boosts to both the Penta- on Congress, especially
gon and domestic agen- House Speaker Nancy Pe-
cies instead of the sharp losi, D-Calif., and top Sen-
across-the-board spend- ate Republican Mitch Mc-
ing cuts required under a Connell of Kentucky, two
now-defunct 2011 budget veterans of the appropria-
agreement. tions process with a long
Key factions supporting history of assembling the
the sprawling package in- votes for catchall spending
clude GOP defense hawks bills. Their relationship has
and Democrats, who won soured but they are a po-
increases for domestic tent force when they team
programs. The probable up.q