As 2014 draws to a close, political watchers are hopeful that a government shutdown will be averted and that a package of tax extenders will indeed be passed, albeit a smaller package than initially thought.
With the current deal to fund the government expiring Dec. 11, and Congress set to adjourn Dec. 12, plenty of “drama” will ensue as lawmakers rush to push through a funding measure, says political strategist Greg Valliere, which could likely be a “CROmnibus — a combination of a [continuing resolution] CR and Omnibus” spending bill.
“There won’t be a shutdown,” Valliere predicts in his Monday commentary. “There’s at least a 40% chance that an omnibus bill, funding virtually all of the government through Sept. 30, will pass.” However, he adds that “this is Washington, and with time running out, lawmakers simply may punt and pass a short-term CR, the path of least resistance.”
Washington Analysis predicted the same day that an omnibus appropriations bill that funds “the vast majority of the government will be enacted, while a short-term continuing resolution will likely be used to fund the Citizenship and Immigration Services while Republican lawmakers debate how to better respond to President Obama’s immigration executive order.”
Failing such an agreement by Dec. 11, “a broader CR will be employed to avoid a government shutdown,” Washington Analysis says.
As for tax extenders, odds of a two-year tax extenders package (with some provisions made permanent) dropped following President Barack Obama’s recent veto threat of the deal negotiated between Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Ways and Means Committee Chairman David Camp, R-Mich., Washington Analysis says.