Senate Majority Leader John Thune acknowledged Monday that his chamber might not have time this month to pass another package of government funding bills, after trying for more than two weeks to fire up debate.
Faced with another looming shutdown threat on Jan. 30, Thune has been seeking approval from all 100 senators to bundle together a slate of spending measures for floor consideration.
But objections from individual lawmakers have hindered progress on another grouping of bills to fund most federal agencies through next September.
“It would be great if, in fact, we could get the approps process going and actually have a package on the floor,” Thune told reporters Monday afternoon. “Whether we conclude it before the Christmas holiday or not — at least it would be queued up and ready to go in January.”
