White House puts pressure on Congress to pass bipartisan government funding bills
By Aris Folley - 11/12/21 11:02 AM EST
The White House is putting some heat on Congress to strike a deal on the annual government funding bills as negotiations across the aisle have failed to make much headway in recent months.
The Office of Budget and Management (OMB) said in a fact sheet sent out on Friday that Congress must “reach a bipartisan, bicameral agreement” on full-year appropriations bills for fiscal 2022 in the weeks ahead.
The bills, the office said, will be crucial in addressing the nation’s “critical needs,” including funding to “improve readiness for future public health crises,” bolster defense readiness and modernization, provide “overdue investments in election infrastructure,” support kids in high-poverty schools and “ensure access to student loans and student aid.”
While the office acknowledged annual appropriations bills brought forth by Democrats in the House and Senate to fund the government for the coming year, it said it "looks forward to seeing a proposal from House and Senate Republicans" to continue bipartisan negotiations.
As government funding for fiscal 2021 was set to lapse at the end of September, Congress passed a stopgap bill in the eleventh hour to keep the government funded at the previous year’s spending levels to buy time for negotiations.
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https://thehill.com/policy/finance/budget/581281-white-house-puts-pressure-on-congress-to-pass-bipartisan-government
