Senate has only passed 3 out of 12 spending bills as deadline looms

Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will have to bring nine appropriations bills to the floor for a vote either separately or in an omnibus package before the Jan. 19 deadline.

The House also passed a temporary extension of last year’s government funding levels, but with two separate deadlines: Passing appropriations bills for military construction and Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Energy and Water, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development by Jan. 19; the remaining eight appropriations bills must be worked out by Feb. 2. Jamie Joseph is a writer who covers politics. She leads Fox News Digital coverage of the Senate. 

The Senate adopted the same staggered deadlines for its spending bills.

Should lawmakers miss the initial Jan. 19 deadline, they'll need a short-term continuing resolution (CR), essentially a temporary spending patch, to stretch funding until Sept. 30. Failure to do so would activate the Fiscal Responsibility Act, initiating a 1% across-the-board cut of more than $50 billion starting in April.