Congress reaches deal ahead of government shutdown

(NBC, KYMA/KECY) - Congressional leaders have reached a top-line spending agreement that could help avoid a partial government shutdown later this month.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced the deal in a letter to their colleagues Sunday afternoon. The agreement establishes an overall spending level of $1.59 trillion in fiscal year 2024.

According to Johnson, the breakdown is $886 billion for the military and $704 billion for non-defense spending.

President Biden praised the agreement in a statement saying, "The bipartisan funding framework congressional leaders have reached moves us one step closer to preventing a needless government shutdown and protecting important national priorities."

Congress will still need to allocate the money, write the bills and pass them before the January 19 deadline.