WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Senate could give final approval by Thursday to a one-week extension of federal government funding before the midnight Friday deadline, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Wednesday.
“The House is set to act on a one-week CR as soon as tonight and when that bill comes to the Senate we should be ready to act quickly, as soon as tomorrow if we can,” Schumer said, referring to the “continuing resolution” stop-gap funding bill.
The House of Representatives was scheduled to hold a first procedural vote on Wednesday on the one-week funding bill, which would clear the way for debate and a vote on passage.
House Republican leaders have encouraged their rank-and-file members to vote against the bill in a protest of what they call “trillions” of dollars of “wasteful spending that has fueled inflation and driven up our debt.” If they vote in lock-step against it, Democrats could still have enough votes for passage.
(Reporting by Richard Cowan; Editing by Mark Porter and Howard Goller)