The US House of Representatives has not yet passed a temporary budget draft to prevent a shutdown.

Unlike typical stopgap resolutions, which fund federal agencies for a specific period of time, the measure announced by Mr. Johnson would fund some parts of the U.S. government until Jan. 19 and others until Feb. 2.

US Congress announces new budget and spending bill, figure 1 — House Speaker Mike Johnson. Photo: Reuters

“This two-step resolution is a necessary bill to put House Republicans in the best position to win,” Johnson said in a statement after unveiling the plan to House Republicans on a conference call.

The House Republicans' temporary solution does not include additional funding like aid to Israel or Ukraine.

The House and Senate must agree on a budget that President Joe Biden can sign into law on Friday or risk the fourth partial shutdown of the US government in a decade, interrupting paychecks for about 4 million federal workers and disrupting a range of activities from financial oversight to scientific research.

Mr Johnson unveiled his temporary solution a day after Moody's downgraded its outlook on the nation's credit rating from "stable" to "negative", citing political polarization in the US Congress over spending as a danger to the nation's financial health.

The bill would extend funding for military construction, veterans benefits, transportation, housing, urban development, agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration, and energy and water programs through Jan. 19. Funding for all other federal activities expires Feb. 2.

But the plan quickly drew criticism from members of both parties, with White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre saying in a statement that the proposal “would add to the chaos in the Republican Party.”

Democratic Senator Brian Schatz called Mr Johnson's measure "super complicated", adding that "all this nonsense is costing people money".

A temporary measure would give lawmakers more time to pass comprehensive appropriations bills to fund the US government through September 30 next year.

Quoc Thien (according to Reuters)

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