Congress' Big Voting Day: Votes to avoid government shutdown, will Pelosi allow infrastructure vote

Congress is expected Thursday to pass a short-term funding bill to avoid an imminent, partial shutdown of the federal government and keep it fully operational through Dec. 3. 

Lawmakers overnight reached a bipartisan agreement on a so-called "continuing resolution" – which removed an attempt by Democrats to also increase the federal borrowing limit – to avoid a shutdown by Friday, when the new fiscal year begins. 

The Democrat-controlled Senate will vote first, on Thursday morning, beginning with several proposed amendments to the bill that are not expected to create a major impasse, then on the final bill. (The bill reportedly has bipartisan support to include include aid for Hurricane Ida recovery and Afghanistan evacuees.) 

The measure would then go to the Democrat-controlled House, which is also expected to pass the measure with GOP support, now that the borrowing-increase part has been removed.  

However, the stop gap funding measure expected to pass Thursday leaves behind several looming concerns – foremost the borrowing issue and reaching a long-term spending package on which Democrats and Republicans can agree. 

In addition, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had promised a vote Thursday on a bipartisan, $1 trillion infrastructure bill already passed in the Senate. 

However, it's unclear whether she has the votes for passage as a result of a moderate-progressive divide within her conference. 

Pelosi said Wednesday the final vote was still set for Thursday, despite a similar divide in the Senate Democratic Conference that threatening passage of a $3.5 trillion spending bill full of progressive initiatives.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says the country would likely face a financial crisis and economic recession if the debt limit isn’t raised by Oct. 18. Republicans say Democrats have the votes to raise the debt ceiling on their own, and Republican leader Mitch McConnell is insisting that they do so, according to the Associated Press.