Democrats ready one-week stopgap funding extension

Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer put his chamber on notice Monday that a weeklong spending bill is on its way to the floor, given conversations between the two parties on fiscal 2023 appropriations have been productive but negotiators won’t meet the Friday deadline.

Discussions turned more positive over the weekend, Schumer said, giving party leaders enough confidence to keep the talks going beyond this Friday night’s scheduled continuing resolution lapse. The one-week stopgap measure would give lawmakers until nearly Christmas Eve to wrap up an omnibus package and go home for the holidays — or require a lengthier funding extension into the new year.

“Later this week members should be prepared to take quick action on a CR, a one-week CR, so we can give appropriators more time to finish a full funding bill before the holidays,” Schumer said. “I am optimistic we could take action on a CR rather quickly and avoid the shutdown that neither side wants.”

Democrats had planned on releasing an omnibus they had written without Republican input, but designed to earn Republican votes on Monday, but punted on that plan after progress in the negotiations over the weekend.