Playbook: “What they agreed on was something that appeared awfully iffy earlier this week: that the lame-duck Congress should negotiate and pass an omnibus appropriations bill in the coming weeks.”
“On the face of it, that seems a little unusual, especially since the alternatives could get everyone out of town a lot quicker. Government funding runs out on Dec. 16, and Congress could simply pass a continuing resolution to kick things into early next year when the new Congress, presumably with a Kevin McCarthy-led House, is sworn in. Or it could keep current agency funding levels mostly in place until the new fiscal year starts in October 2023 (and, let’s be honest, probably longer).”
“Several things are driving the five leaders to press forward with fraught negotiations over $1.5 trillion-plus in federal spending on a tight deadline. But we can’t help but note the one common factor that came up in conversations with all sides: Nobody trusts McCarthy to pass anything (not even McCarthy).“
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