White House Seeks Government Funding Extension Through January 31

The White House is pursuing legislation to extend federal funding through January 31 to prevent a partial government shutdown when the current fiscal year ends on September 30. Republican House Majority Leader Steve Scalise confirmed that while the extension's exact dates and duration are still being negotiated, the stopgap funding bill would maintain existing program spending levels and potentially include emergency allocations, such as disaster relief funding for FEMA. Democratic Representative Rosa DeLauro criticized the White House's request as an 'extreme' attempt to bypass the bipartisan appropriations process and stressed the importance of protecting Democratic priorities and congressional authority over spending. Congress has yet to agree on any of the discretionary appropriations bills required to fund many federal programs, with Republicans holding narrow majorities in both chambers and needing Democratic support to pass funding measures. The national debt, now at $37.4 trillion, adds urgency to the budget discussions amid concerns from fiscal experts. Lawmakers may also seek to introduce new initiatives during the stopgap funding period as negotiations continue to avoid a government shutdown.