Politico: Talks To Avert Shutdown Are “Big F-ing Mess”

Politico reports:

One week out from the Dec. 20 government shutdown deadline, top lawmakers are still working through disagreements over funding and policies getting added onto the funding patch they’re trying to finalize.

Leaders hope to release bill text of the stopgap spending measure over the weekend. But they’re currently locked in a battle over what to do about farm aid and conservation funding, according to two people familiar with the negotiations. “It’s a big f—g mess,” said one Hill aide, granted anonymity to speak candidly about the negotiations.

What Republicans want: $16 billion in aid for farmers hit by natural disasters and $12 billion for farmers who’ve experienced market losses in recent years. GOP leaders don’t want: To incorporate the $14 billion for conservation programs that Democrats passed under the Inflation Reduction Act into the farm bill budget each year.

Read the full article.

A December government shutdown looms: Where negotiations stand https://t.co/BYNGFkZI0I

— Axios (@axios) December 12, 2024