Congress reaches deal to punt government shutdown

Lawmakers have reached a deal to extend government funding by a week to give themselves time to pass annual spending bills, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: It's the culmination of months of negotiations to try to bridge a wide gap between House Republicans and Senate Democrats.

What we're hearing: The House plans to vote Thursday on a continuing resolution to extend government funding deadlines from March 1 and 8 to March 8 and 22, according to House GOP sources.

The House will then try to pass six appropriations bills – Agriculture; Commerce; Justice and Science; Interior; Military Construction and Veterans Affairs; and Energy and Water.
The bills will be voted on in two packages to speed up the process, the sources said.
What we're watching: GOP hardliners are already railing against the plan, signaling a rough road ahead for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).

"The message we need to send to the Senate is either pass a conservative [spending bill] with true spending restraints/cuts and HR 2 border policies or SHUT DOWN THE GOVERNMENT," Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) told Axios in a text.
Johnson has framed the continuing resolution as a way to give negotiators room to work out the last technical issues on spending bills.