Schumer says lawmakers making progress to avoid shutdown

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday said lawmakers are “making good progress” to avoid a government shutdown.

“We are making good progress. We made it very clear. The Speaker said unequivocally he wants to avoid a government shutdown,” Schumer told reporters outside the White House after he and other top congressional leaders met with President Biden. 

“We made it clear that that means not letting any of the government appropriations bills lapse, which means you need some [continuing resolutions] to get that done, but we’re making good progress and we’re hopeful we can get this done really quickly,” Schumer said. 

Schumer met with the president alongside Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). 

Returning to the Capitol, McConnell told reporters, “We talked about keeping the government open, which I think we all agree on.”

Schumer said there are “little back-and-forths on different issues that different people want,” but he said he didn’t think those matters are “insurmountable” — calling it “heartening” to hear Johnson say he wants to avoid a shutdown. 

At the same time, Schumer called the talks — during which the so-called Big Four talked government funding, Ukraine aid and the border — among “the most intense” he’s encountered in the Oval Office. 

Jeffries said the meeting was “intense” and “productive.” 

“We are making real progress on the appropriations bills that are scheduled to lapse on March 1, and I’m cautiously optimistic that we can do what is necessary within the next day or so to close down these bills and avoid a government shutdown,” the House Democratic leader said. 

Jeffries also floated the idea of extending the pending expiration of eight additional bills that are scheduled to lapse on March 8 “so that good faith, tough negotiations can continue in the absence of a government shutdown.”