Lawmakers prepare stop-gap funding as clock runs down on spending bill

U.S. lawmakers are preparing a stop-gap spending measure ahead of a new federal government shutdown deadline next week as talks on the $1 trillion U.S. spending legislation move slowly. The temporary measure, known as a "continuing resolution," would keep government agencies funded through the end of next week, instead of allowing all spending authority to expire at midnight on January 15, Senate and House of Representatives aides said on Thursday. After vowing that they would complete the massive spending bill on time, House and Senate appropriations committees are still trying to resolve disputes over funding and policy provisions attached to the measure, the aides said. The "omnibus" measure, which combines 12 normal spending bills and includes thousands of budget line items for everything from national parks to weapons development programs, may not be ready for consideration by Congress until the weekend, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski said on Tuesday.