Thomson Reuters Foundation News:
WASHINGTON, Dec 21 (Reuters) – Republicans in the U.S. Congress on Thursday advanced legislation to keep the federal government operating past Friday when funding expires, adding some “emergency” money for the military in a bid to gain the support of conservatives in the House of Representatives.
House Republican leaders unveiled a new version of a bill they hope to pass before Friday’s midnight deadline and keep federal agencies humming along at current funding levels through Jan. 19, averting a shutdown that would create political havoc in Washington.
But as of early on Thursday, it was unclear whether House Speaker Paul Ryan had secured enough votes for passage. Any measure approved by the House would then have to be considered by the Senate.
Representative Steny Hoyer, the No. 2 House Democrat, described a paralyzed Congress during early-morning testimony to a House committee.
“You have 36 hours to keep the government open,” he said. “We don’t have the votes to keep the government open. We don’t have the votes to shut it down.”
The House also was aiming to approve an $81 billion disaster aid bill to help Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and several states recover from this year’s hurricanes and wildfires.
The House bill, released online by the House Rules Committee, calls for an additional $4.7 billion for the Department of Defense to be used for missile defense and ship repair…
