US Congress Races the Clock to Avert Government Shutdown

The Senate is making a last-ditch effort to pass a short-term funding bill before midnight

White House Director of Legislative Affairs Marc Short (L) and Director of the Office of Management and Budget Mick Mulvaney hold an emergency press conference at the White House in Washington, on Jan. 19, 2018. Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times

WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump and the Senate’s top Democrat leader on Friday failed to reach an agreement to avoid a government shutdown at midnight. As a last attempt, Senate has scheduled a vote for 10 p.m. on the House-passed bill to extend funding for four weeks.

The Senate has only a few hours left to pass a funding patch known as a continuing resolution (CR), to maintain current funding for federal operations and keep the government open through mid-February.