BUDGET/DEFENSE/HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE(ACA): “The U.S. Congress is struggling through another contentious week as infighting over defense spending, healthcare and other matters complicates the drive to pass a temporary spending bill by midnight on Friday [12-22-17] to avert a partial government shutdown.
In a week when President Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans in Congress are hoping to celebrate the passage of tax overhaul legislation, many in the party showed little appetite for a government shutdown at week’s end.
But they sounded resigned to having to navigate through some drama over a package that includes so many disparate components, which could make for a messy process…
The last time government agencies had to shut down because Washington could not pay its bills was in October 2013.
Leading Republicans in the Senate and House of Representatives expressed optimism that a funding bill, coupled with a large new disaster aid package, would pass by Friday’s deadline.
But some were predicting that lawmakers would bump right up against the cutoff.
The House could vote as soon as Wednesday on legislation that extends most funding for domestic programs through Jan. 19. Democrats are likely to mainly oppose the bill, arguing that their priorities are being ignored.”
-Richard Cowan, “Congress faces tricky path to avoid government shutdown,” Reuters, Dec. 19, 2017 07:03am