On Thursday, House and Senate leaders unveiled the six-bill, 1,012-page minibus package for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 just before 3 a.m. A summary from the House Appropriations Committee Democrats can be found here and the Republicans here. The deal includes defense, homeland security, financial services and general government, labor-HHS, the legislative branch, and state-foreign operation. The bill funds the federal government until the end of the fiscal year on September 30, 2024. The package is the second set of annual spending bills, with Congress having voted on the first batch on March 8. The bill includes wins for both parties, such as Afghan visa allocations and increased funding for childcare, while also addressing Republican priorities like preserving gas stoves and bolstering border security.
With the release of the text, the question remains over whether Congress can vote and pass the package before the impending deadline of Friday at midnight. It's likely that Speaker Johnson will advance the package under suspension, which requires a two-thirds majority for passage. Achieving this threshold hinges on garnering substantial bipartisan backing.
In a late breaking development, Congress Member Marjorie Taylor Green has filed a motion to vacate the speakership. Next steps are unclear, given that Congress is on recess for a couple of weeks.