Timing up in the air for Congress to vote on spending bill as government shutdown looms

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GOP lawmakers indicated that the House could vote on another CR proposal Friday to avert the looming partial government shutdown, but the timing still remains unclear.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., speaking to reporters outside Speaker Mike Johnson’s office, said that lawmakers are “very close to a deal” and suggested that a vote could be held that morning.

“I do not believe the government is going to be shutting down. You guys will see some great stuff, very similar to President Trump’s plan yesterday,” the congresswoman said.

Luna added that “there will be no deals with the Democrats.”

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Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., attends a House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)

However, Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., told reporters that was not certain a vote would come as early as Friday morning.

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“I don’t have any reason to believe there will be a vote at 10 o’clock,” Johnson said. “I know some people would like to get something on the floor this morning.”

Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, leaving a Democratic caucus meeting on Friday, also told reporters that Democrats had no update on the timing for a potential vote.

Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., walks to the Capitol for the last votes of the week on Friday, April 1, 2022.  (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)

Democratic members told reporters that Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., was in talks with Johnson to try and reach a deal ahead of the partial government shutdown deadline, but suggested that the GOP put the original bipartisan deal on the floor.

House Republican negotiators have tentatively reached an agreement on averting a partial government shutdown at the end of Friday, sources told Fox News Digital.

Two people familiar with discussions told Fox News Digital late Frisy morning that House Republican negotiators had tentatively reached an agreement that would include a short-term extension of this year’s federal funding levels, disaster aid funding, and agricultural support for farmers – but under three separate bills.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is reportedly talking to Speaker Johnson to find a deal before the partial government shutdown deadline. (Kevin Dietsch)

The speaker originally put forward a 1,547-page bipartisan deal that would have extended the government funding deadline until March 14, but the proposal crumbled after Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy criticized the spending bill.

A new proposal, backed by Trump, was hastily negotiated on Thursday, but failed to pass the House of Representatives on Thursday night.  

The bill needed two-thirds of the House chamber to pass, but failed to even net a majority, with two Democrats voting with the majority of Republicans to pass the bill, and 38 GOP lawmakers against.

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The national debt has climbed to over $36 trillion, and the national deficit is over $1.8 trillion.