Why Congress is still divided on a government spending package

CNN —

With just over two weeks to go before the federal government partially shuts down if Congress doesn’t act, the House and Senate remain divided over how to fund federal agencies for the remainder of the fiscal year.

House and Senate leaders are working to bridge the gap, but disagreements remain over both spending and ideology. They have yet to unite around a top-line funding figure, which is the crucial starting point, though Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer sounded a note of optimism Wednesday, saying he’s hopeful “we can get a budget agreement soon.”

But an aide familiar with the negotiations signaled the heavy lift that lies ahead.

“Unfortunately, there is a lot more work to be done once that top-line is reached, and we’re getting dangerously close to the first deadline,” the aide told CNN Wednesday.

Congress has struggled to approve a funding package for fiscal year 2024, which began on October 1. Instead, lawmakers opted for two short-term measures to avoid government shutdowns. The most recent stopgap bill, passed in mid-November, extended funding for several agencies, including agriculture, transportation, housing, veterans affairs and energy, through January 19, and the rest of the government through February 2.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has said he opposes another short-term funding bill but is open to discussing a continuing resolution that would fund the government through the rest of the fiscal year. But Sen. Patty Murray, a Washington state Democrat who chairs the chamber’s Appropriations Committee, has slammed such an idea, arguing it would lock in spending cuts.

The debt ceiling deal passed in June capped base discretionary spending for fiscal 2024 at $1.59 trillion, but also