Congress is going to have to pass another short-term funding bill to keep the government's doors open. The latest extender lasts until midnight Wednesday, and House Speaker Paul Ryan says they won't be voting before Thursday on the final spending bill, along with an end-of-year tax credit extension, giving the effort an unfortunate nickname: the “Taxibus.”
In what could be good news, Ryan also says he's not sure he'll get a majority of Republican votes for the spending bill. That means that Democratic negotiators Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid have been able to hold tough on toxic policy riders. While the negotiations have been remarkably secret, some details have emerged, and it looks as though there's just one big concession from Democrats.
If clinched, the deal would score a major win for congressional Republicans by lifting the decades-old embargo on exporting oil from the United States while likely delivering to Democrats several years of tax credits for wind and solar energy, expanded child care tax credits and the reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, in addition to fending off abortion riders and language aimed at labor unions.
Aides in both parties predicted that language championed by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) to limit "risk corridor payouts to insurers that lose money on Obamacare's exchanges will be included. There also has been a lot of discussion by the two sides about a popular child tax credit in the tax-extenders package.
Reid, however, tweets that the oil export ban is “the major outstanding issue” and says “We have 2 paths: 1. Pair oil export ban with policies to reduce carbon emissions 2. Pass govt funding without oil/renewables.” So reports that the export ban is out seem premature.
Beyond that, it appears that Republican efforts to include restrictions on Syrian and Iraqi refugees have been staved off. With that and abortion out, it seems likely that the spending bill will be passed with Democratic votes, and the tax package with Republicans. President Obama has agreed to one more short-term bill, which Congress will have to pass Wednesday, as long as there's a long-term spending bill on its way to a final vote.