WASHINGTON — The lame-duck Congress was flapping its way toward an ugly conclusion yesterday, as lawmakers struggled to keep the government running and Democrats tried to push a last batch of legislation through.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who on Thursday had to pull from the floor a 1,900-page omnibus spending measure laden with $8 billion in earmarks, was searching for a way to keep the government running beyond a cutoff today.
The House has passed a continuing resolution to keep the government running mostly at current levels to the end of the fiscal year in September, but Senate Republicans are objecting, insisting on a shorter funding cutoff of February — which would put the issue in the lap of the incoming Republican House.
To avoid a shutdown, the House passed another resolution to keep things running for a few days, as lawmakers hoped to conclude business for the year, with threats of post-Christmas sessions looming.
Reid said yesterday that he wants to call up a bill to provide billions in funds for heroic first responders to the 9/11 attacks before Congress leaves.