1) Fox is told there is an informal plan by Pelosi/Mnuchin to do a stopgap spending bill (known as a CR) to avoid a shutdown on September, 30, the end of the fiscal year.
2) Fox is told a “clean” bill, simply re-upping all existing levels is the hope. But, as one source says “clean is in the eye of the beholder.” There has been talk about possibly latching some coronavirus aid to this package – if not a massive coronavirus bill anyway.
3) Attaching coronavirus relief to this measure could either be a sweetener…or serve as political Syrup of Ipecac – depending on the lawmaker.
4) But, certain numbers in the bill (in this case, what appropriators call “anomalies”) are being worked out out. And, it is unclear for how long the bill would run.
5) Democrats have pushed to fund the government through early next year & what they hope is a Biden Administration. Republicans, unsure of the election results, and based on the “anomalies list” they sent to Capitol Hill, prefer a shorter CR which would run through mid-December
6) In short, there is a general agreement not to shut the government down. But that may be more of an aspiration at this point, rather than a “deal.” A deal has details. This doesn’t.
7) And it is natural that the sides would “aspire” not to have a government shutdown in the middle of a pandemic and an economic cataclysm.
8) And, keep in mind, it is unclear what President Trump is willing to sign. Confusion over that in December, 2018 sparked the epic, 35-day shutdown which ran through the holidays.
9) The list of appropriations "anomalies" (just sent to Capitol Hill by the administration) and what the sides agree to will dictate the length of the bill
