Arizona state university.
Amna: Some news from capitol
hill.
Even as congress is out of town,
"Newshour" has learned that
bipartisan negotiators may reach
a spending deal in the next few
days.
But that may not be soon enough
to avert a partial government
shutdown just a few days after
that.
This has been a familiar
plotline in recent years.
But capitol hill correspondent
Lisa Desjardins joins us now to
explain that this spending
showdown has some unique
features to it.
So let's start with the
timeline.
In forgive me, I feel like I
have asked you this before.
When would a government shutdown
begin and what, if anything,
makes this showdown unique?
Lisa: This has been as
competitive as a son Rhett and
sunrise in American politics but
this time is a little different
and I'm going to show you why.
The timeline is shorter than you
might imagine.
That's look at the calendar.
When you talk about today
February 22, congress is out of
town.
The first deadline comes next
Friday and that is the first
different feature.
These deadlines are split in
two.
Four different kind of
appropriation bills have their
deadlines next Friday picked it
must be passed or those agencies
will shut down.
Then there is a second deadline
March 8 after that.
Here is what makes it very
difficult to imagine them
reaching that first deadline
without some short-term deal.
Because congress does not return
until next week.
The senate on Monday.
The house does not return to
Washington until next Wednesday
afternoon.
That will give them two days to
come up with some kind of
solution to meet the first March
deadline.
Amna: Walk us through what
agencies and programs would be
impacted.
Who would be affected and went
according to the deadlines?
Lisa: We wanted to start talking
about this now because we think
next week will be busy and it
will feel moral crisis and we
wanted to explain what could
happen.
That March 1 deadline, these are
the kind of agencies we are
talking about.
Agriculture, energy
transportation, housing and
veterans.
That includes in those agencies
the program food for mothers and
infants as well as the fda
itself.
The March 8 deadline is all of
the remaining agencies.
Where is the bigger portion of
government at risk?
March 8.
That is about 80% of what
federal agencies do.
That is the bigger concern.
But in a way that makes the
March 1 deadline more
precarious.
Some in the house will say it is
not all of government, it is not
even most of government so
perhaps we can afford to have a
short shutdown after March 1.
Let's also talk about some
bigger picture issues to help
people understand.
There is a possible spending
deal this weekend.
I have that reported from
multiple sources involved in the
house and senate.
But even if they have the
outlines of a deal, it is hard
to see how that fool deal for
all of the spending they need to
pass can actually get through
the house and senate by March 1.
If there is no long-term deal at
all passed by April 30, there
will be a 1% cut for federal
agencies pretty that is part of
the fiscal responsibility act,
that dead deal -- debt deal led
by Kevin Mccarthy last year.
That was trying to motivate
members of the house and senate
to get all of these spending
bills passed on time.
They said if you don't pass the
spending bills there will be a
cut.
It is having a bit of the
opposite affected some
conservatives say great, let's
have a 1% cut.
Amna: Take us behind the scenes
to some of the politics
unfolding here.
What is your sense of what the
chances are of a shutdown
happening next week?
Lisa: We are watching the house
freedom caucus and I spoke to
several members of that group
today.
They sent out a letter
yesterday, really a warning shot
to speaker Johnson saying they
wanted an update on this whole
thing.
When you dig beneath the surface
what is really happening here,
while it was a politely worded
letter, is there are
conservatives connected to
Donald Trump, including from his
son who sent out in email today
saying what he got from the
letter is that Republicans in
the freedom caucus were ready to
trigger a shutdown.
And indeed I did talk to at
least one member of the freedom
caucus who said I think it is
worth a shutdown and we should
try to head in that direction if
we cannot get spending cuts.
Which no one thinks is possible
in the next week.
Amna: Speaker Johnson is under
seeing one of the narrowest
house majorities in history.
What does all of this mean for
him?
Lisa: This is his biggest test.
He has been able to put off
these huge decisions where his
own conference is split.
He will have to decide the next
few days if he wants to put
forth a short-term resolution or
not.
And after that he has a very
difficult decision on Ukraine
funding as well.
Amna: That is Lisa Desjardins
with the latest twists and turns
from congress.
Lisa, thank you.
♪♪