Congress agrees budget deal to avoid government shutdown
An agreement has been reached that should allow funding for 2024 to be passed in the nick of time
Chuck Schumer, the Democrat Senate leader, lauded the deal for preventing “draconian cuts” to public services which some republicans had called for
ELIZABETH FRANTZ/REUTERS
US congressional leaders have announced a deal on a $1.6 trillion budget for 2024 that would avert a government shutdown.
The agreement, announced on Sunday after weeks of negotiations, includes $886 billion allocated for defence while non-defence spending — including social safety net programmes — is set at $773 billion.
The deal may be viewed as a win for Democrats as Republicans had demanded steep cuts to the government’s budget.
Congress now faces a tight turnaround to pass the deal into law in time to prevent a partial shutdown as funding for about a fifth of the government runs out on January 19 and money for the rest runs out on February 2.
President Biden welcomed the agreement and said it “rejects deep cuts to
