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| Congressional Leaders Near Deal on Over $1 Trillion Spending Bill | Congressional Leaders Near Deal on Over $1 Trillion Spending Bill |
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| WASHINGTON — With government funding set to run out this weekend, congressional leaders neared agreement Wednesday on a voluminous spending bill that would top $1 trillion, beef up domestic and military programs and fund the government through September. | |
| “We’re feeling very good about this,” Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, told reporters after a meeting of top congressional leaders at the Capitol, which buzzed with activity even as the falling snow shuttered much of Washington. | “We’re feeling very good about this,” Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, told reporters after a meeting of top congressional leaders at the Capitol, which buzzed with activity even as the falling snow shuttered much of Washington. |
| The House and Senate have until midnight Friday to pass the spending bill to avoid what would be the third government shutdown of the year. As part of the spending talks, congressional leaders have been trying to resolve disputes over issues like immigration, a southern border wall, health care and a planned rail tunnel between New York and New Jersey that has drawn the ire of President Trump. | The House and Senate have until midnight Friday to pass the spending bill to avoid what would be the third government shutdown of the year. As part of the spending talks, congressional leaders have been trying to resolve disputes over issues like immigration, a southern border wall, health care and a planned rail tunnel between New York and New Jersey that has drawn the ire of President Trump. |
| Some key details emerged early Wednesday as negotiators tried to resolve the last issues standing in their way. To improve border security, the coming deal will include more than $1 billion for physical barriers along the border with Mexico as well as related technology, according to congressional aides. | Some key details emerged early Wednesday as negotiators tried to resolve the last issues standing in their way. To improve border security, the coming deal will include more than $1 billion for physical barriers along the border with Mexico as well as related technology, according to congressional aides. |
| But there will be strings attached to what can be built, and the funding is far short of the total Mr. Trump would ultimately need to build his promised “big, beautiful wall.” | But there will be strings attached to what can be built, and the funding is far short of the total Mr. Trump would ultimately need to build his promised “big, beautiful wall.” |
| The coming agreement is not expected to resolve the uncertain fate of hundreds of thousands of young undocumented immigrants who have been protected under an Obama-era program, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, that Mr. Trump has moved to end. | The coming agreement is not expected to resolve the uncertain fate of hundreds of thousands of young undocumented immigrants who have been protected under an Obama-era program, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, that Mr. Trump has moved to end. |
| An effort by some lawmakers to attach to the spending bill a proposal to shore up insurance markets under the Affordable Care Act also appears very likely to end in failure, at least in part because of a dispute over abortion. | An effort by some lawmakers to attach to the spending bill a proposal to shore up insurance markets under the Affordable Care Act also appears very likely to end in failure, at least in part because of a dispute over abortion. |
| Another sticking point in recent days was funding for a series of infrastructure projects in the New York City area known as the Gateway program, including a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River. Despite his New York roots, Mr. Trump zeroed in on the Gateway program and urged Republican leaders not to provide federal funds for it — an apparent rebuke to Mr. Schumer, whose caucus the president has repeatedly accused of obstructionism. | Another sticking point in recent days was funding for a series of infrastructure projects in the New York City area known as the Gateway program, including a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River. Despite his New York roots, Mr. Trump zeroed in on the Gateway program and urged Republican leaders not to provide federal funds for it — an apparent rebuke to Mr. Schumer, whose caucus the president has repeatedly accused of obstructionism. |
| The spending bill will not include $900 million in funding for Gateway that had been included in House legislation last year. But according to a senior congressional aide, it will include hundreds of millions of dollars that could go toward the Gateway program, including funds that do not require the approval of Mr. Trump’s Department of Transportation. | The spending bill will not include $900 million in funding for Gateway that had been included in House legislation last year. But according to a senior congressional aide, it will include hundreds of millions of dollars that could go toward the Gateway program, including funds that do not require the approval of Mr. Trump’s Department of Transportation. |
| The legislation is also expected to include hundreds of millions of dollars in grants to states for election technology and in extra funds for the F.B.I. to combat Russian cyberattacks. | The legislation is also expected to include hundreds of millions of dollars in grants to states for election technology and in extra funds for the F.B.I. to combat Russian cyberattacks. |
| And although Congress has shown little appetite for passing significant gun control legislation in response to the mass shooting last month in Parkland, Fla., the spending bill will include a modest measure to improve reporting to the national background check system for gun purchases, according to a senior Republican aide. | And although Congress has shown little appetite for passing significant gun control legislation in response to the mass shooting last month in Parkland, Fla., the spending bill will include a modest measure to improve reporting to the national background check system for gun purchases, according to a senior Republican aide. |
| Congress approved a broad two-year budget deal last month that paved the way for this week’s legislation. That deal set overall spending levels, raising strict limits on military and domestic spending by a total of about $140 billion this year. This week’s spending bill allocates the allowed spending among a vast array of federal programs. | Congress approved a broad two-year budget deal last month that paved the way for this week’s legislation. That deal set overall spending levels, raising strict limits on military and domestic spending by a total of about $140 billion this year. This week’s spending bill allocates the allowed spending among a vast array of federal programs. |
| The mammoth bill is long overdue, coming more than five months after the 2018 fiscal year began on Oct. 1. Since then, Congress has needed five stopgap spending measures to keep the government open. By snapping that streak of short-term patches, lawmakers would provide a dose of stability to federal agencies that have been left in limbo as Congress lurched from one stopgap measure to the next. | The mammoth bill is long overdue, coming more than five months after the 2018 fiscal year began on Oct. 1. Since then, Congress has needed five stopgap spending measures to keep the government open. By snapping that streak of short-term patches, lawmakers would provide a dose of stability to federal agencies that have been left in limbo as Congress lurched from one stopgap measure to the next. |
| Even if a final deal is reached Wednesday, there would still be some risk of a brief shutdown this weekend, as any one senator could stop the Senate from speeding up consideration of the spending bill to meet Friday’s deadline. Last month, Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, did just that, causing an hourslong shutdown as he bemoaned the government’s mounting debt. | Even if a final deal is reached Wednesday, there would still be some risk of a brief shutdown this weekend, as any one senator could stop the Senate from speeding up consideration of the spending bill to meet Friday’s deadline. Last month, Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, did just that, causing an hourslong shutdown as he bemoaned the government’s mounting debt. |
| This time around, with lawmakers expected to vote on a gigantic spending bill with little time to digest its contents, Mr. Paul is unhappy yet again. | This time around, with lawmakers expected to vote on a gigantic spending bill with little time to digest its contents, Mr. Paul is unhappy yet again. |
| “It’s a rotten, terrible, no-good way to run your government,” he said on Tuesday, adding, “Really, should we be looking in thousand-page bills with 24 hours to decide what’s in them?” | “It’s a rotten, terrible, no-good way to run your government,” he said on Tuesday, adding, “Really, should we be looking in thousand-page bills with 24 hours to decide what’s in them?” |
| The approval of the spending bill would be another blow to those worried about the government’s ballooning debt, which has topped $21 trillion. That issue has seemed of little concern on Capitol Hill lately as Mr. Trump and Republican lawmakers push for much more military funding, while Democrats demand similar increases for domestic priorities. | The approval of the spending bill would be another blow to those worried about the government’s ballooning debt, which has topped $21 trillion. That issue has seemed of little concern on Capitol Hill lately as Mr. Trump and Republican lawmakers push for much more military funding, while Democrats demand similar increases for domestic priorities. |
| The spending spree comes on the heels of the Republicans’ sweeping tax overhaul late last year, which was projected to add $1.5 trillion to federal budget deficits over a decade. The deficit is now expected to exceed $1 trillion in the 2019 fiscal year, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a fiscal watchdog group. | The spending spree comes on the heels of the Republicans’ sweeping tax overhaul late last year, which was projected to add $1.5 trillion to federal budget deficits over a decade. The deficit is now expected to exceed $1 trillion in the 2019 fiscal year, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a fiscal watchdog group. |
| The final negotiations on the spending bill dealt with more than just dollars, and Democrats have been able to exert influence in the talks because votes from their party are needed to approve the legislation in the Senate and will most likely be needed in the House as well. | The final negotiations on the spending bill dealt with more than just dollars, and Democrats have been able to exert influence in the talks because votes from their party are needed to approve the legislation in the Senate and will most likely be needed in the House as well. |
| One difficult issue that negotiators wrestled with in recent days was immigration, including Mr. Trump’s promised wall, as well as the future of young immigrants who were brought to the country illegally as children, known as Dreamers. | One difficult issue that negotiators wrestled with in recent days was immigration, including Mr. Trump’s promised wall, as well as the future of young immigrants who were brought to the country illegally as children, known as Dreamers. |
| Mr. Trump’s closure of the DACA program is being challenged in court, and an effort to pass immigration legislation failed in the Senate last month. | Mr. Trump’s closure of the DACA program is being challenged in court, and an effort to pass immigration legislation failed in the Senate last month. |
| Over the weekend, the White House offered to extend protections for DACA recipients for two and a half years in exchange for $25 billion for the border wall, according to congressional aides. Democrats countered by offering $25 billion in wall funding in exchange for a pathway to citizenship for a broader population of Dreamers, which the White House rejected. | Over the weekend, the White House offered to extend protections for DACA recipients for two and a half years in exchange for $25 billion for the border wall, according to congressional aides. Democrats countered by offering $25 billion in wall funding in exchange for a pathway to citizenship for a broader population of Dreamers, which the White House rejected. |
| Another confrontation focused on health care. | Another confrontation focused on health care. |
| After Republicans failed last year in their effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, lawmakers have discussed taking steps to ensure that consumers do not face huge premium increases next year — which they could learn about just before this year’s midterm elections. | After Republicans failed last year in their effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, lawmakers have discussed taking steps to ensure that consumers do not face huge premium increases next year — which they could learn about just before this year’s midterm elections. |
| Senators Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Susan Collins of Maine, both Republicans, pushed to provide tens of billions of dollars in funds to stabilize insurance markets, including $30 billion over three years to help defray the cost of providing coverage to the most expensive patients. | Senators Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Susan Collins of Maine, both Republicans, pushed to provide tens of billions of dollars in funds to stabilize insurance markets, including $30 billion over three years to help defray the cost of providing coverage to the most expensive patients. |
| Their proposal would also revive payments to insurers to reimburse them for lowering deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs for low-income consumers. Mr. Trump cut off those payments last year on the grounds that they were unlawful. | Their proposal would also revive payments to insurers to reimburse them for lowering deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs for low-income consumers. Mr. Trump cut off those payments last year on the grounds that they were unlawful. |
| But their efforts ran into problems on both ends of the political spectrum. Conservative Republicans have resisted taking action that could be viewed as propping up a health law they vowed to repeal. And as the deadline for passing the spending bill approached, a dispute over abortion flared up, drawing opposition from Democrats. | But their efforts ran into problems on both ends of the political spectrum. Conservative Republicans have resisted taking action that could be viewed as propping up a health law they vowed to repeal. And as the deadline for passing the spending bill approached, a dispute over abortion flared up, drawing opposition from Democrats. |
| The proposal included language that would have prohibited insurance plans that receive the new stabilization funds from covering abortion. Democrats viewed that restriction as a nonstarter. | The proposal included language that would have prohibited insurance plans that receive the new stabilization funds from covering abortion. Democrats viewed that restriction as a nonstarter. |
| Another dispute involved the rail tunnel between New York and New Jersey, a key infrastructure project championed by the region’s representatives in Congress. | Another dispute involved the rail tunnel between New York and New Jersey, a key infrastructure project championed by the region’s representatives in Congress. |
| The project is seen as critical to the New York metropolitan area, as the existing two-tube tunnel under the Hudson River is more than a century old and flooded with saltwater during Hurricane Sandy. Construction of a new two-tube tunnel would allow for repairs to be made to the existing tunnel without crippling train service between New York and New Jersey. | The project is seen as critical to the New York metropolitan area, as the existing two-tube tunnel under the Hudson River is more than a century old and flooded with saltwater during Hurricane Sandy. Construction of a new two-tube tunnel would allow for repairs to be made to the existing tunnel without crippling train service between New York and New Jersey. |
| The project has powerful advocates in Congress, including Mr. Schumer and Representative Rodney Frelinghuysen, Republican of New Jersey and the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. | The project has powerful advocates in Congress, including Mr. Schumer and Representative Rodney Frelinghuysen, Republican of New Jersey and the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. |
| Asked about Mr. Trump’s opposition, the White House press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, told reporters on Tuesday, “The president specifically wants to address infrastructure on a broader scale, not put all our emphasis into one project.” | Asked about Mr. Trump’s opposition, the White House press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, told reporters on Tuesday, “The president specifically wants to address infrastructure on a broader scale, not put all our emphasis into one project.” |
| At the Capitol, Mr. Schumer avoided publicly antagonizing the president over the issue, but highlighted the project’s economic significance. | At the Capitol, Mr. Schumer avoided publicly antagonizing the president over the issue, but highlighted the project’s economic significance. |
| “If those tunnels fail,” he warned on Tuesday, “we’ll have not just a recession in the northeast, but a national recession.” | “If those tunnels fail,” he warned on Tuesday, “we’ll have not just a recession in the northeast, but a national recession.” |