U.S. House Democrats consider new stopgap spending measure to avoid gov't shutdown: media

2021-11-29 23:35:56 GMT2021-11-30 07:35:56(Beijing Time) Xinhua English

WASHINGTON, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Democrats in the House of Representatives are considering proposing a new stopgap spending measure that would keep the federal government funded through mid-to-late January, local media reported on Monday.

A House move to extend government funding well into January would open up some breathing room for U.S. lawmakers to deal with other pressing issues on their agenda, Bloomberg reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.

U.S. lawmakers also face time pressure to avoid a debt limit default, pass the annual defense bill and finalize President Joe Biden's signature tax and spending policy bill, the report said, adding missteps on the funding bills or debt ceiling would have profound consequences for the country and the party in power.

U.S. Congress in September passed a short-term spending bill to keep the federal government funded through Dec. 3. Meanwhile, Congress last month passed a bill to raise the federal government's debt limit by 480 billion U.S. dollars, allowing the Treasury Department to meet obligations through Dec. 3.

In a letter to congressional leaders earlier this month, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen urged lawmakers to raise the debt limit by Dec. 15 to avoid a potential default.

"To ensure the full faith and credit of the United States, it is critical that Congress raise or suspend the debt limit as soon as possible," Yellen said. Enditem

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