Key House Republicans said Thursday afternoon that they had reached a short-term government funding deal designed to avert a shutdown that would have begun late Friday night.
House Appropriations Committee Chair Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., was among the lawmakers who walked out of House Speaker Mike Johnson’s offices in the Capitol and told reporters an agreement had been reached.
“We have an agreement, we expect to have a vote,” Cole told reporters as he left the Louisiana Republican’s offices.
The deal is comprised of several pieces, according to lawmakers and to President-elect Donald Trump, who quickly endorsed the deal.
The first is a three-month extension of current government spending levels, known as a continuing resolution, or CR. There is also a $110 billion extension of disaster and farm aid that was major Democratic demand.
Crucially, the deal would also suspend the U.S. debt ceiling for two years, a remarkable late-stage addition to a funding bill. Debt ceiling hikes are typically hammered out over months, but Trump said Wednesday that he did not want to take office and immediately have to face a vote to raise the U.S. debt limit.
“SUCCESS in Washington!” Trump posted Thursday afternoon, as talks broke up in Johnson’s offices.
“The newly agreed to American Relief Act of 2024 will keep the Government open, fund our Great Farmers and others, and provide relief for those severely impacted by the devastating hurricanes,” wrote Trump.
“The date of the very unnecessary Debt Ceiling will be pushed out two years, to January 30, 2027,” he added. “All Republicans, and even the Democrats, should do what is best for our Country, and vote “YES” for this Bill, TONIGHT!”
The announcement by Cole capped off a chaotic day of negotiations and noise on Capitol Hill, as Republicans worked to rescue what they could of a massive spending package that had been carefully negotiated so that it could pass the Republican controlled House and the Democratic controlled Senate.
But that deal fell apart after Trump and billionaire Elon Musk panned it.
— NBC News’ Katherine Doyle contributed reporting
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