Schumer signals Senate will pursue short-term funding bill to avert shutdown

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Monday indicated that the upper chamber of Congress would likely attempt to pass a short-term funding bill to avert a government shutdown.

The New York Democrat indicated that "members should be prepared to take quick action" on a continuing resolution, The Hill reported. He further asserted that a one-week bill would give lawmakers "time to finish a full funding bill before the holidays."

With Republicans poised to secure the lower chamber in January, some Republicans have called on lawmakers to refrain from passing such a plan so as to allow the GOP's budget hawks more leverage when negotiating on government spending after assuming power.

Schumer, meanwhile, has called for full-year omnibus spending package to guarantee the long-term operations of the state. "The benefits of an omnibus are as many as the number of citizens in America. All of us are better off when the government is fully equipped to provide vital services millions rely on," he said, per the outlet.

Among the key barriers to an agreement at present, is a reported disparity between the GOP and Democrats on what figure to allot for discretionary spending. The competing sums reportedly differ by a considerable $25 billion.

Opportunities for compromise remain somewhat unclear, however, with spending cuts among the top Republican priorities. Texas Republican Rep. Kevin Brady appeared on the "Just the News, No Noise" television show last week and asserted that the GOP's primary aims in the next Congress would be to curtail spending, taxes and federal regulation, saying the party wants to operate the "opposite of what President Biden does."