Amidst Hurricane Harvey recovery operations and the wait for the upcoming hurricanes’ aftermath, Democratic leaders in Congress have announced that they agreed on a deal with President Donald Trump that includes a three-month bill that will help prevent a government shutdown, BuzzFeed News reports. The possibility of a government shutdown due to Republicans and Democrats disagreeing about a new budget first emerged in April. This new deal will allow the government’s prevention of shutting down until Dec. 15. At that point, Congress will meet again for more discussion on the matter.
In a White House meeting that included House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, raising the debt ceiling and the passing of Hurricane Harvey relief aid were also agreed upon by both parties.
“The nation can breathe a sigh of relief,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer tweeted. “We’ve avoided default and we’ve avoided a government shutdown, both of which would cause damage far into the future.”
While Republicans Ryan and McConnell were against a shorter extension of the debt limit, President Trump actually agreed with the Democrats about keeping the deal within three months. “There was an expected standstill in the meeting on this point,” a source told BuzzFeed, “and the congressional leaders were basically going to agree to disagree, and then unexpectedly the president said basically let’s just all agree and do three and three. Three-month CR and three-month debt limit with Harvey.”
Breaking news → the House just passed an initial aid package to help the families and communities affected by #HurricaneHarvey.
— Paul Ryan (@SpeakerRyan) September 6, 2017
Although the unexpected agreement is a positive blip in the current administration, tailoring to Texas’s desperate need for post-Harvey relief, other sources say that the deal only delays deeper discussion about how to spend government funding. Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, another prominent Republican in the Senate, said, “This basically kicks the can down the road for three months. But it does give us time to make the case for tax reform and to do other important things.”
While Trump agreeing with Democrats is an unusual move, it’s comforting to know that both political parties were able to come together and support a relief package for Hurricane Harvey victims.