Congressional Leaders Strike Funding Deal Setting New Shutdown Deadlines

Congressional leaders struck a deal Wednesday on half of the 12 required annual spending bills along with a stopgap measure to avoid a partial government shutdown that was set to begin Friday night. “We are in agreement that Congress must work in a bipartisan manner to fund our government,” the four top congressional leaders and four top appropriators said in a joint statement announcing the deal, which was initially floated by House Speaker Mike Johnson. The agreement will extend the current fu