House backs bill to exclude climate change from trade deals

With negotiations pushing against the Friday deadline to fund the government, the House passed a short-term funding measure by voice vote Friday to avert a government shutdown and give Congress until next Wednesday to pass a $1 trillion-plus spending bill.

Republicans are seeking to lift the oil export ban and various financial and environmental regulations, and also want to address security concerns about Syrian refugees, while Democrats want to protect administration environmental and labor rules.

Negotiators plan to work through the weekend as they continue to haggle over what policy riders should be attached to the legislation and how to handle a separate package of tax breaks for businesses and individuals that will likely be attached to the bill or moved at the same time. “The Democrats aren’t going to get everything they want in negotiations”, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, told reporters Thursday.

Under current law, government funding expires Friday at midnight, when the last short-term spending bill expires.

But congressional Democrats and Republicans are dividing over some key issues in the long-term bill. The Senate adopted it in similar fashion on Wednesday. Lawmakers agreed to the spending bill’s overall funding level when they struck a two-part budget deal in October. “I want to make sure that these negotiations are done well and done right, and not by some arbitrary deadline”.

Uncertainty remained as to whether lawmakers would pull off a major tax bill with permanent extensions benefiting both sides, or simply opt for a two-year extension of existing tax breaks.

As the House debated the continuing resolution on temporary government funding Friday morning, representatives seemed optimistic and said they hoped they could all work together to pass an agreement.

Supporters say the wide-ranging trade bill would beef up enforcement of USA trade agreements and help prevent counterfeit goods from entering the country.