Congress agrees to put off government shutdown deadline to Dec. 21

By Erica Werner December 3 at 3:58 PM

Congressional leaders and White House officials agreed Monday to extend a government funding deadline by two weeks, until Dec. 21, setting up the possibility of a shutdown showdown just ahead of Christmas.

The decision, confirmed by aides involved in the talks, was made because of the observances surrounding the death of former President George H.W. Bush. The former president will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda ahead of a service at the National Cathedral on Wednesday. The House has canceled all votes for this week.

The current deadline is midnight on Friday, Dec. 7. The House and Senate are expected to approve the new deadline at some point this week. That could be done in the House by unanimous consent, without lawmakers present to vote.

House and Senate aides spoke on the condition of anonymity to confirm the changed deadline, as they were not authorized to discuss confidential deliberations.

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