According to NBC News, US President Joe Biden met with the four top leaders of both houses of Congress to discuss and find solutions to the government budget and border security issues, as well as urge Congress to pass an emergency security aid package for Ukraine and Israel.
The four congressional leaders include House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
The move comes as the Republican-led House of Representatives is under pressure to pass a $95 billion national security bill that would increase aid to Ukraine, Israel and the Indo- Pacific region.
With less than four days until a crucial deadline to extend federal funding, Congress has begun the formal process of preparing for a partial government shutdown. Negotiators are working on a bipartisan spending deal, but are stuck in a series of disagreements over aid to Ukraine and border security, among other policy issues.
If no deal is reached by March 1, a number of departments, equivalent to 20% of the federal government, will no longer have operating budgets. The departments expected to be affected include the departments of Agriculture, Energy, Transportation, Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development, and some military construction projects.
In mid-January, leaders in the US Congress agreed on a temporary budget bill to keep the federal government operating until March. The short-term budget bill gives bipartisan negotiators in both houses of Congress more time to reach consensus on 2024 budget bills to be enacted into law.
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