Spending bill buzzer beater?

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – The 1,012-page federal spending bill was published in the early hours of Thursday morning.

“There were some very tough negotiations,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said.

The $1.2 trillion package would fund agencies like the Department of Homeland Security and the Pentagon. It also includes more funding for childcare and cancer research.

“We need to make sure we have a strong military and that’s supported in this we need to secure our borders and those policies are supported in this as well,” Rep. Michael Cloud (R-Texas) said.

Republicans and Democrats both praised the bill.

“It will avoid the site of budget sequestration and it will keep the government open without cuts or poison pill riders,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said.

But now it’s a sprint to the finish line. Lawmakers must get the bill to the President’s desk by midnight on Friday to keep the government open.

Schumer says he is confident lawmakers can get it done before Friday’s deadline.

“Once the House acts, the Senate will need bipartisan cooperation to pass it,” Schumer said.

Because of the time crunch, the House is bypassing a rule that any new bill must undergo a 72-hour review period. But in the Senate, where one senator can stall a bill for days, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) says he doesn’t want to speed up the process.

“We shouldn’t be forced to rush to judgment on it,” Lee said.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) says lawmakers shouldn’t book their flights back home just yet.

“We’re likely to be here this weekend,” McConnell said. “That will be determined however by how long it stays in the House.”

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