The deal would only extend government spending authority for a week beyond the April 28 deadline, the Washington Post is reporting, but even that would be a major achievement given all the last minute monkey wrenches thrown into the negotiations. A week’s extension would give Congress time to negotiate a bill to take the government through the end of the current fiscal year in September.
The House end of the deal fell into place when Republican leadership realized that they didn’t have the votes to pass a new repeal and replace proposal for Obamacare in a Friday vote. That removed a Democratic threat to vote against the measure if Republicans brought the repeal plan to a vote.
The Senate has been relatively straight forward throughout this process since the Republicans in that chamber have known all along that they don’t have the votes for anything resembling the original or amended plan to repeal Obamacare.
This being Congress everything can still fall apart but at the moment it looks like a vote on Friday to keep the government’s doors open.
