Representatives of the Republican and Democratic parties in the US Congress reached an agreement on federal spending. This is the first step to prevent a shutdown, as reports The Washington Post.
According to the speaker of the US House of Representatives, Republican Mike Johnson, "the agreement provides for a total level of federal spending of $1.6 trillion."
That total includes $886 billion for defense and $704 billion in non-defense spending, Johnson said in a Jan. 7 letter to lawmakers.
US President Joe Biden said the agreement brought the country one step closer to "preventing an unnecessary shutdown and protecting important national priorities."
"It reflects the funding levels that I have agreed upon with both parties," Biden said in a statement after the deal was announced.
The US budget for the 2024 fiscal year, which already began on October 1, 2023, still remains not passed "in full". The specialized committees of the House of Representatives and the Senate could not agree on 12 draft laws, which, in fact, form the state budget, mainly due to disagreements about expenses.
The issue is expected to be the subject of intense negotiations as lawmakers return to work after the Christmas break today. In order to avoid a new threat of a "government shutdown", part of the budget must be approved by January 19, and the other part by February 2.
- Without a new budget deal, thousands of U.S. government workers across the country could be put on unpaid leave, including military personnel, air traffic controllers, and child care workers, because the U.S. has had a law since the late 19th century that prohibits federal government from operating without funding.. A shutdown, or "closure," occurs when Congress fails to approve, and the president fails to sign, a yearʼs worth of federal funding.