WASHINGTON: The U.S. Congress this week considers legislation to fund the federal government through mid-December, but a dispute over farm aid raised questions about whether lawmakers can avoid a government shutdown amid a pandemic just weeks before the Nov. 3 elections.
With government funding lapsing on Sept. 30, House Democrats announced Monday they had filed the stopgap funding legislation, but angered Republicans by leaving out new money that President Donald Trump wanted for farmers. The House will take up the bill on Tuesday, a Democratic aide said. The Senate could then act later this week.
The new federal fiscal year starts on Oct. 1.
The bill is designed to give lawmakers more time to work out federal spending for the period through September 2021, including budgets for military operations, healthcare,…