To avoid a potential government shutdown on Friday, Republican members in the House needed to pass a new spending bill to keep the government running until Dec. 22. They have done just that by a vote of 235-193.
Though a temporary spending bill has been passed in the House and is expected to pass in the Senate, Republicans and the president will have to work with Democrats to continue to keep the government running.
Politico reported earlier today that Republicans are not out of the woods yet:
But the biggest hurdles have yet to come. Republicans know they need Democrats to pass any broader spending agreement to fund the government through 2018, and Democrats are flexing their muscles and making significant policy demands for their votes. House Minority Nancy Pelosi reiterated in a press conference Thursday that she wants deportation relief for Dreamers as part of the negotiations.
"We will not leave here without a DACA fix,” the California Democrat said.
President Donald Trump is meeting with the “Big Four” congressional leaders — Speaker Paul Ryan, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer — at the White House on Thursday afternoon in a bid to jump-start negotiations over a two-year budget deal.
On Wednesday, the White House stated they would support a short-term spending bill which gave hope to GOP lawmakers that the looming government shutdown would not be of concern. However, as Politico reports, the Trump administration has some specific demands that it wants to be met in the future.
The White House endorsed the two-week spending bill in a statement on Wednesday night, another sign Congress should be able to avoid a shutdown at week's end. Yet the Trump administration reiterated its position that military and national security funding — including a border wall — “must be prioritized” in any broader spending package.
Compromise will be the name of the game two weeks from now.
The House's bill is now headed to the Senate for a vote as it must be passed before midnight on Friday.