The House passed a temporary spending bill on Tuesday to keep the US government open until March 23 and fund the defense department through September as congressional leaders closed in on a longer-term agreement.
The 245-182 vote continues a pattern of using stop-gap spending to fund the government since the fiscal year began on October 1, with lawmakers unable to agree to a full-year budget.
The measure would extend most government funding at current levels until March 23 while lifting budget caps to provide $659 billion for the Pentagon through September 30.
A broader budget deal may be added to the legislation, HR 1892, before a Senate vote. Leaders in both parties are working on a two-year deal to lift caps on defence and domestic spending and break the cycle of temporary measures. A revised bill would have to be voted on again by the House before current funding runs out at the end of the day on Thursday.
Senate leaders said they don not want to bring the government to the brink of a shutdown and see little risk that it would occur. Last month, the government was closed for three days as lawmakers sought to work out differences on the last temporary measure.
“I think we’re on the way to getting an agreement, and getting it very soon,” Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said Tuesday after lunch with GOP members.
Senator John Cornyn of Texas, the chamber’s second-ranking Republican, said he hopes a budget deal would include a provision to raise the debt ceiling. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office predicts the Treasury can prevent a default only through early March, and treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin urged Congress Tuesday to “act as soon as possible.”
House and Senate leaders have been discussing a two-year budget deal that would cost more than $250bn for this fiscal year and the next one that begins October 1. Defence caps for each year would be raised by about $80bn, while non-defence spending limits would be raised by about $60bn. Budget gimmicks would be used to add more domestic spending, allowing Democrats to claim that the cap increase treats defence and non-defence equally.
A Senate agreement to raise domestic spending along with Pentagon funding would likely be met by objections from conservative House Republicans, potentially forcing House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin to rely on Democratic votes to pass the measure.
House Democrats already anticipate they will have to cut short their scheduled three-day policy retreat beginning Wednesday in Cambridge, Maryland, to return to the Capitol for a second vote on the Senate version of the spending plan.
The higher spending would add to an expanding federal budget deficit that Steve Bell, a former Senate Budget Committee staff director, forecast would reach as much as $1 trillion next year.
The budget shortfall grew to $666bn last fiscal year because of higher spending on Medicare, Social Security and other programs for an ageing population. The gap is expected to widen further due to new tax cuts that are projected to reduce revenue by almost $1.5tn over the next decade.
Even as the threat of a government shutdown was ebbing in Congress, President Donald Trump was threatening to force one if Democrats refuse to meet his demands on immigration legislation.
“I’d love to see a shutdown if we don’t get this stuff taken care of,” Mr Trump said at an event with law enforcement officials to discuss MS-13, a predominantly Latino gang whose members include undocumented immigrants.
An attempt by Democrats to add deportation protections for about 700,000 young undocumented immigrants to the last spending bill led to a three-day government shutdown. But that obstacle was removed after Mr McConnell said he’ll allow the Senate to debate an immigration bill after Friday if the government remains open.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Inside%20Out%202
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EKelsey%20Mann%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%C2%A0Amy%20Poehler%2C%20Maya%20Hawke%2C%20Ayo%20Edebiri%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
PAST 10 BRITISH GRAND PRIX WINNERS
2016 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2015 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2014 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2013 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes-GP)
2012 - Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
2011 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)
2010 - Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
2009 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2008 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2007 - Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
What is hepatitis?
Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver, which can lead to fibrosis (scarring), cirrhosis or liver cancer.
There are 5 main hepatitis viruses, referred to as types A, B, C, D and E.
Hepatitis C is mostly transmitted through exposure to infective blood. This can occur through blood transfusions, contaminated injections during medical procedures, and through injecting drugs. Sexual transmission is also possible, but is much less common.
People infected with hepatitis C experience few or no symptoms, meaning they can live with the virus for years without being diagnosed. This delay in treatment can increase the risk of significant liver damage.
There are an estimated 170 million carriers of Hepatitis C around the world.
The virus causes approximately 399,000 fatalities each year worldwide, according to WHO.
Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
Company%20Profile
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Company Profile
Company name: OneOrder
Started: October 2021
Founders: Tamer Amer and Karim Maurice
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Industry: technology, logistics
Investors: A15 and self-funded
FIGHT%20CARD
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What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
Company%20Profile
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Medicus AI
Started: 2016
Founder(s): Dr Baher Al Hakim, Dr Nadine Nehme and Makram Saleh
Based: Vienna, Austria; started in Dubai
Sector: Health Tech
Staff: 119
Funding: €7.7 million (Dh31m)
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Two-litre%20four-cylinder%20turbo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E235hp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E350Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nine-speed%20automatic%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh167%2C500%20(%2445%2C000)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
All kick-off times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
Liverpool v Manchester United - 3.30pm
Burnley v West Ham United - 6pm
Crystal Palace v Chelsea - 6pm
Manchester City v Stoke City - 6pm
Swansea City v Huddersfield Town - 6pm
Tottenham Hotspur v Bournemouth - 6pm
Watford v Arsenal - 8.30pm
Sunday
Brighton and Hove Albion v Everton - 4.30pm
Southampton v Newcastle United - 7pm
Monday
Leicester City v West Bromwich Albion - 11pm
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
AS%20WE%20EXIST
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Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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