WASHINGTON – The Latest on the budget battle in Congress (all times local):
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12:10 p.m.
House Speaker Paul Ryan is suggesting that House Republicans have enough votes to fund the federal government through Dec. 22, even if all Democrats vote against the measure.
The Wisconsin Republican says, “I feel good where we are.” He called keeping the government running “just basic governing.”
Congress faces a midnight Friday deadline to avert a partial government shutdown. The House is scheduled to vote Thursday on a bill that would fund the government through Dec. 22 while lawmakers negotiate a longer spending bill.
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi says Democrats don’t intend to vote for the measure because it doesn’t include funding for their priorities.
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11:15 a.m.
The drama over whether the House will pass legislation preventing a weekend partial government shutdown is essentially over.
The leader of the conservative House Freedom Caucus says Republicans’ chief vote counter has told him there are enough votes to pass a short-term spending bill Thursday, keeping agencies open until Dec. 22.
Republican Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina says his group will likely provide leaders with the needed votes. Conservatives had threatened to oppose the legislation.
Meadows says they want to avoid distractions from the tax bill Republicans plan to push through Congress this month.
Meadows says GOP House Speaker Paul Ryan has promised to try passing future legislation funding the military for the year and leaving fights with Democrats over domestic spending for later.
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3:45 a.m.
Congress seems set to prevent a weekend government shutdown. But lawmakers and President Donald Trump still have longer-range disputes to settle over spending, immigration and other issues before they can declare budget peace.
Many on both sides have decided a headline-grabbing federal closure would be a political blunder, at least for now. So the House planned to approve legislation Thursday financing federal agencies through Dec. 22. The Senate seemed ready to follow.
Without legislation, many agencies would run out of money after midnight Friday and grind to a close.
The two-week spending measure is aimed at giving both parties’ bargainers more time to reach longer-term budget decisions.
To jumpstart that negotiating, Trump and congressional leaders agreed to meet Thursday an attempt to reach agreements.
