Senate leaders are close to reaching a deal to pass a five-bill appropriations package that would fund most of the federal government through fiscal 2026, potentially largely eliminating the threat of a government shutdown early next year.
Senators were awaiting a deal Thursday afternoon to vote on a series of amendments to so-called minibuses that would fund the departments of Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Commerce, Justice, Interior, Transportation and Housing and Urban Development.
Senators on the Appropriations Committee estimate that if the five bills become law, it would fund approximately 85% to 90% of the federal government and eliminate the threat of a government shutdown in February.
The House of Representatives must also agree to the package, and so must President Trump.
Without a new appropriations bill, much of the government will shut down on February 1.
Trump signed another deal last month to fund military construction, Veterans Affairs, Agriculture and the Legislative Branch until Sept. 30, 2026. The bill would also cover the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a major issue during the fall government shutdown.
If the House approves the Senate minibus, which is by no means a sure thing, that would mean that only the Department of Homeland Security, State Department, Foreign Operations Energy and Water Programs, and Financial Services would face a January 30 funding deadline.
A senator involved in the negotiations for a vote on amendments to the bill said Republicans have finalized a list of eight amendments they want to consider before the package goes to a final vote. As many as five of the Republican amendments could be resolved by voice vote, sources said.
A group of Democratic and Republican senators gathered on the Senate floor Wednesday night to negotiate a path to passing the package before senators adjourn Thursday.
On Wednesday night, Democrats called for a vote on an unwieldy list of 40 amendments.
By Thursday afternoon, Democrats had whittled down the list of amendments to 15, according to a Senate source familiar with the situation.
Republicans still need to agree to schedule votes on Democratic priorities, some of which may prove controversial.
Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) has pushed for an amendment that would strip senators of their right to sue the Justice Department as it targets them in an investigation into attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, according to a Senate aide familiar with the situation behind the scenes.
Legislation that would allow a group of eight Republican senators to sue the Justice Department was included in the bill that reopened the federal government last month after a 43-day shutdown.
The closure is primarily due to the expiration of enhanced subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. Democrats are calling for an extension of those subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of this year.
The shutdown ended after a group of Democratic senators agreed to reopen the government without extending those subsidies.
On Wednesday, four House Republicans joined Democrats in a recall petition, forcing the chamber to vote on legislation that would extend those subsidies for three years. Republicans signed the petition to lift after Republican leaders refused to vote on an amendment to support extending the subsidy.
In the Senate, lawmakers last week voted to kill competing Democratic and Republican efforts on health care. Four Republican senators have joined a Democratic bill to extend health care subsidies.
A House bill to extend these subsidies for three years now appears to have support in the House in January. But it is uncertain whether it will have the votes to pass the Senate.
On the Republican side, Sen. Mike Lee (Utah) pushed for an amendment to remove earmarks from the minibus bill.
He also supports an amendment that would remove a provision from the Interior Department appropriations bill that would require the federal government to continue to manage federal lands within national parks as federal lands.
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