MITCHELL, SD (Mitchell Now) — Members of Congress are back in Washington with a Jan. 30 deadline to fund the federal government, and U.S. Sen. John Thune of South Dakota is urging lawmakers to move quickly on spending bills.
In remarks posted by his office, Thune said Congress should complete the rest of the current fiscal year’s appropriations bills so lawmakers can turn to other priorities and begin work on the next fiscal year’s spending measures.
“We have a January 30 deadline to fund the government,” Thune said, adding that “nobody should want a repeat” of what he called a recent shutdown.
The Jan. 30 deadline stems from a stopgap funding measure approved after last fall’s shutdown, leaving lawmakers to finalize the remaining appropriations bills or pass another temporary extension.
Thune also said opposition slowed progress last year but that the Senate still moved more bills due to what he described as an aggressive calendar.