Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) wants a full spending bill for the rest of fiscal year 2017 completed by the end of 2016, he told reporters Wednesday.
McConnell said he was unsure as to how the spending bill would be packaged. Some have called for the popular “omnibus” of the last few years while others have called for traditional individual spending bills for each department.
Photo: U.S. Senate.
Congress faces a short time frame as it has four total weeks of both the House and Senate in session. Congress is off next week for Thanksgiving and is off for December holidays starting Dec. 19. The federal government is currently funded through Dec. 9.
“We would like to finish funding the government this year,” McConnell said. “Exactly how to achieve that over a three-week period is always a matter for discussion.”
McConnell also stood up for NATO, which President-elect Donald Trump questioned last summer during his presidential campaign. McConnell said he believes NATO is every bit as important today as ever and that Article 5 means something.
Article 5 mandates that if one NATO ally is attacked, all other allies will come to its defense. McConnell said if any NATO ally is attacked, that nation will have the United States to deal with. Trump had said that the U.S. coming to allies’ aid would be dependent on if they are fulfilling their financial obligations to the alliance.