Congress Fails to Pass Bipartisan Bill that Would Avoid Government Shutdown

The clock is ticking on a midnight deadline to get a bill to the President’s desk for signature before the current funding agreement expires and the federal government shuts down. However, no bill has been drafted yet.

Earlier this week, a bipartisan agreement that would have extended current government funding through March 14 and included many other provisions carefully negotiated through bipartisan, bicameral discussions was released. The bill had the blessings of both House and Senate leadership and was ready to be considered on the House floor when criticism from President-Elect Trump and his allies both inside and outside of Congress halted the process.

Over the last two days, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) has been working around the clock to determine a next step to avoid a government shutdown. Still, divisions in his caucus and Democrats’ pledge to stick to the original bipartisan deal have left him unable to get support for an alternative plan.

A government shutdown would not immediately impact funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or other formula programs that support K-12 schools because they are funded in advance of the school year. Nor would it immediately impact discretionary grants awarded through the U.S. Department of Education because the funding is distributed annually.

Currently, the government will likely shut down at midnight for an unknown amount of time. However, this is a dynamic situation.