Congress braces for spending fights amid threat of government shutdown

Lawmakers are bracing for budget battles later this month when they return to Washington, where they’ll be racing against the clock to pass trillions of dollars in spending while the threat of a government shutdown looms.

Before October, the House is aiming to pass two major pieces of legislation: a roughly $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill and a forthcoming $3.5 trillion spending package backed by Democrats that would advance key parts of President Biden’s economic agenda. They’ll also need to pass government funding legislation to avoid a shutdown on Oct. 1. 

House leadership has set a Sept. 27 deadline to vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill, as committee chairs rush to finish drafting their portions of the larger spending package by Sept. 15 to hold a floor vote shortly thereafter. Progressives have threatened to block the bipartisan bill if it comes to the floor before the Democratic-only measure that focuses on issues like health care, climate change and education. 

The party also faces a tough challenge sticking together on the reconciliation package in the Senate, where it can’t afford any defections. This past week, Sen. Joe ManchinJoe ManchinFive tax issues to watch as Democrats craft .5T bill Abortion rights groups want Biden to use bully pulpit after Texas law Presented by Schneider Electric — Overnight Equilibrium/Sustainability —Mars rover drills first successful sample MORE (W.Va.) urged fellow Democrats to hit “pause” on the spending bill and warned in a strongly worded op-ed that he wouldn’t back the proposed level of spending “without greater clarity about why Congress chooses to ignore the serious effects inflation and debt have on existing government programs.” 

The intraparty squabbling has set the stage for what could be a bruising couple of weeks ahead for the Democratic Party.

There is also the Sept. 30 deadline to avoid a government shutdown.

Neither the House or Senate have passed the 12 annual appropriations bills necessary to fund the government starting Oct. 1, when the new fiscal year begins. That increases the odds that Congress will pass a continuing resolution, allowing the government to keep funds flowing at current spending levels as lawmakers carry on with negotiations over a longer-term spending bill. 

Zach Moller, a former Senate Democratic budget aide who is now director of the economic program at the centrist think tank Third Way, said lawmakers are staring down what will be “probably one of the craziest three-week stretches” they’ve seen in a while.

While the House has passed a majority of the annual appropriations bills, the Senate hasn’t brought any to the floor for a vote.

Last month, the Senate Appropriations Committee advanced its first three spending bills for fiscal 2022. But that was met with swift opposition from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who warned that Republicans won’t back the bills without a larger deal on government spending. 

At the same time, both parties are locked in an increasingly high-stakes game of chicken over the nation’s borrowing limit.

Senate Republicans have said they will not vote to raise or suspend…