McConnell floats short-term spending bill amid ‘significant impasse’
by Al Weaver - 12/06/22 3:09 PM ET
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday said a stopgap funding deal that would fund the government until January might be necessary as talks on a long-term spending package drag on.
“We’re at a pretty significant impasse,” McConnell told reporters on Tuesday. “Time is ticking. We have not been able to agree on a top line yet, and I think it’s becoming increasingly likely that we might need to do a short-term CR into early next year,” McConnell continued, using the shorthand for continuing resolution.
“We are running out of time, and that might be the only option left that we could agree to pursue,” McConnell said.
The comments came a day after House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) called on McConnell and Republicans to avoid striking a deal on an omnibus spending package during the lame-duck session and to wait until House Republicans retake the majority in January. McCarthy’s remarks also suggest that leaders should expect few House GOP members to jump on board to support an omnibus spending bill this month.
McConnell added that the immediate priority should be passing the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). A final NDAA bill was expected to be rolled out in recent days, but that release has been delayed as lawmakers haggle over remaining sticking points.
“We’re running out of time, and we don’t have agreements to do virtually anything,” McConnell said about the stalled talks on the omnibus and NDAA. “I’m dealing with the practical situation. … We’re running out of time. There’s only so much you can do with the time that’s left.”
more
https://thehill.com/policy/finance/3763998-mcconnell-floats-short-term-spending-bill-amid-significant-impasse/
