The threat of a partial government shutdown this weekend may be diminishing. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Wednesday morning announced he will introduce what a temporary funding bill that will keep the federal government open into 2019. Funding currently expires at midnight on Friday.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, said Democrats would support McConnell's bill. It's unclear if President Trump will sign the bill.
If it becomes law, the spending measure will postpone the day of reckoning over the final bits of the federal budget until the new Congress is sworn in and Democrats take control the House.
In a tweet, McConnell said the funding measure, known as a continuing resolution, would last through February 8th, 2019.
Last week, Trump said he would "proudly" shut down the government unless he got an additional $5 billion for a border wall. But Democrats in the House and Senate balked at that, and with Democrats taking the House majority as of January, it appears Trump's plans for a wall are all but dead.
The continuing resolution means spending on the nine government agencies that have yet to receive their budgets would remain at current levels.
There is no word yet on whether the House will go along with the bill, but as Christmas approaches lawmakers are eager to wrap up their work and go home.
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