US govt shutdown likely averted

WASHINGTON: US congressional leaders have reached a deal on a federal spending bill which, if passed by lawmakers this week, will avert a government shutdown, a top lawmaker and congressional aides said late on Sunday.

The agreement would keep federal operations running through September 30, the end of the fiscal year. Congress is expected to vote in coming days on the package, which aides said includes some $1.5 billion in funding for increased border security measures, but no funding for an actual wall.

They also said it adds $2 billion in new funding for the National Institutes of Health and is expected to increase military spending. Lawmakers have until Friday to get new spending legislation to President Donald Trump’s desk.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 2^nd, 2017.

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