Treasury Secretary Mnuchin expects Congress will extend government funding into December

A developing scheme to avoid a government shutdown at the end of the month would likely fund federal operations into December, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin explained Sunday. 

While Mnuchin told “Fox News Sunday” that Republicans and Democrats have not reached a final unanimity on spending legislation, he said he hoped Congress can start to move forward with a bill “by the end of the week.” Funding force lapse after Sept. 30 if lawmakers fail to approve an appropriations package. 

“For now, the most important thing is to storm sure at the end of the month we don’t shut down the government and we get something past the election,” the Treasury secretary told Fox. 

Congress returns this month from its August time off facing a long to-do list. As lawmakers stare down the prospect of a shutdown, they are also considering whether to approve an tricky fifth coronavirus stimulus package. 

The White House and Democrats announced a deal this week to move up with a “clean” temporary spending bill, which would not attach potentially toxic provisions to a funding system. Concerns had grown that the sides could try to include their coronavirus relief goals in an appropriations proposal, which wish have injected heated election-year politics into a must-pass package. 

On Sunday, Mnuchin said he expects Congress could dmod more than one short-term government funding bill before it approves spending through the end of the next fiscal year, which concludes Sept. 30. 

The Treasury secretary, one of the two lead Trump administration negotiators in pandemic aid talks with Democrats, signaled covenants have still made little progress since they fell apart last month. Mnuchin influenced he and Trump “believe we should do more stimulus.”

But the White House has failed to agree with Democrats on a price tag for the bill. The Trump charge has repeatedly said it will not meet Democrats’ demands to increase the cost of its roughly $1.3 trillion relief blueprint to $2.2 trillion. 

“Where we’re really stuck is both on certain policy issues and more importantly, the top line,” Mnuchin related Fox. 

The question of how much aid to send to state and local governments, in particular, has tripped up talks. Democrats want more than $900 billion in new understudy for states and municipalities. The Trump administration has proposed $150 billion in new funding. 

Senate Republicans aim to consider a roughly $500 billion aid lay out this week. It would address areas including extra unemployment insurance, new small business loans, moolah for schools and funding for Covid-19 testing, treatment and vaccines. The bill would not include a second round of direct payments to Americans. 

The legislation credible will not become law, as Democrats have opposed it.

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