>
Article snippet: Administration officials said they expect Congress to pass a stopgap bill to avert a third government shutdown this year as lawmakers scramble to finalize a must-pass omnibus spending bill. White House Legislative Affairs Director Marc Short told CNN Tuesday that negotiators are getting closer to reaching an agreement, but there "too many obstacles to tackle" for the omnibus bill to make it out of the lower chamber by Thursday. He told CNN that makes it likely Congress will have to pass a stopgap bill in order to keep the government running into the weekend, when lawmakers could vote on the final passage of the omnibus bill. Another White House official said a days-long stopgap is almost a certainty, noting the Senate would likely take up the measure over the weekend. “A lot of great things in the omni but we have a handful of very big presidential priorities that are still outstanding unfortunately,” the official told The Hill. “Still hopeful they'll be resolved in the next 24 hours so we can post the bill before midnight tomorrow. House should then pass it before midnight on Friday and will attach a short CR [continuing resolution] and send to the Senate.” Despite GOP leadership’s hopes the bill text for the $1.3 trillion spending package would be released before midnight Tuesday, the House is expected to miss its deadline due to divisions over border security and funding for the Gateway Tunnel project. If the measure isn’t released until Wednesday, the lowe... Link to the full article to read more