brace yourselves
Congress faces another tough week with shutdown threat looming
Congress is heading into another busy week following the frenetic rewriting and passage of the Senate GOP tax bill. At the top of the agenda is negotiating a deal on keeping the federal government funded to avoid a shutdown of some agencies on Friday, when current funding runs out. House Republican leaders are proposing a two-week extension through a "continuing resolution" that would keep government agencies funded until Dec. 22. GOP leaders say the extra time would allow for negotiations on boosting spending for the Pentagon and domestic agencies, which otherwise face cuts. Democrats are demanding a deal on protecting young undocumented immigrants. Republicans don't want to include the immigration fix in the budget deal, suggesting a possible deadlock.